In a breathtaking and ground-breaking performance Thea LaFond won gold in the women’s triple jump at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Dominican stunned her rivals and herself when she uncorked a remarkable world-leading 15.01m to win and become the first woman from the Caribbean to achieve that distance indoors and the first from Dominica to win a global gold medal.

LaFond, who achieved a lifetime best of 14.90m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year to finish fifth, uncorked her historic performance on her second attempt in Glasgow stunning the audience and her rivals. She stared at the mark in disbelief before shedding tears of joy in front of her husband and coach Aaron Gadson.

With the gold medal all but secured, LaFond passed on her remaining jumps but watched as Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez provided a scare when she unleashed a jump of 14.90m to claim the silver medal. The Cuban had a big jump on her final attempt but it was deemed a foul, which sent LaFond skipping away joyfully at winning her first-ever global championship.

Spain’s Ana Peleteiro-Compaore' won the bronze medal with her effort of 14.75m

Earlier, world-record holder Devynne Charlton easily advanced to the semi-final round of the 60m hurdles. The Bahamian barely broke a sweat in winning the third of the six heats in 7.93. Her compatriot Charisma Taylor also advanced one of the six fastest losers. Taylor was fourth her heat in 8.05.

Megan Tapper from Jamaica was an automatic qualifier after she was third in her heat in 8.05.

Jamaica ran well to advance to the final of the 4x00m relay. The quartet of Junelle Bromfield, Andrenette Knight, Charokee Young and Leah Anderson ran a season-best 3:27.35 to finish second, an automatic qualifying spot in the second of two heats that was won by Great Britain who ran a national record of 3:26.40.

Gold medal favourites, the Netherlands (3:27.70) and the USA (3:28.04) are also through to the final.