Emotional moment Olympic athlete’s brother found out she’d won gold during his Navy football practice

Thea LaFond’s younger brother heard about her historic gold medal halfway through his soccer practice, leading to emotional scenes on the Navy squad.

LaFond won gold in the women’s triple jump at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, becoming the first athlete ever to win a medal for Dominica.

Her brother Chreign LaFond, a junior defensive end at the Naval Academy, was unable to attend the event due to his football commitments.

But Navy HC Brian Newberry made sure he stayed up to date on Thea’s well-being in Paris.

In a heartwarming clip, posted on social mediaThe coach stopped practice on Saturday and called LaFond over.

Thea LaFond’s brother heard about her historic gold medal halfway through soccer practice

LaFond triumphed in the triple jump, winning Dominica’s first-ever medal at the Olympic Games

“Hey,” Newberry says to the entire team, “your sister just won a gold medal, bro.”

This led to exuberant celebration among the Navy team and personnel, who cheered and encouraged LaFond on the field.

Thea, who jumped 15.02 m in Paris, moved from Dominica to the United States at the age of five and now lives in Maryland.

After moving to the US, LaFond trained as a dancer.

But at the age of 13 she had to give up because her family could no longer afford the lessons.

She discovered track and field in high school and went on to compete at the University of Maryland.

There are virtually no athletic facilities in Dominica and in 2017, 90 percent of the island’s homes were damaged by Hurricane Maria, which killed 31 people.

But it was not the only Caribbean island to win its first Olympic medal on Saturday: Julien Alfred of St. Lucia won the title in the 100 meters.