Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts registered a new lifetime best of 15.01 metres to win the women’s triple jump, while Dominica’s Thea Lafond was third at the Diamond League meet in Brussels on Friday.

With World Champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela absent, silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine and Ricketts were both heavily favoured to battle for top spot on this occasion and the manner in which they started, justified that much.

Both cut the sand at 14.30m on their first attempts, but Ricketts improved to 14.70m on her second attempt in a negative 0.2 metres per second wind reading, while Bekh-Romanchuk failed to register a mark.

Ricketts maintained her rhythm in the series and with it came the big personal best of 15.01m on her third attempt, as she bettered her previous best of 14.98m which was set in Doha in 2021.

Though she skipped the fourth and fifth attempts and fouled on the sixth and final jump, the 31-year-old Ricketts, who was fourth at the World Championships in Hungary, had done enough to top the podium, as Bekh-Romanchuk’s next best efforts of 14.56m and 14.57m, came on her last two attempts.

Lafond’s best effort of 14.49m which came on her third attempt, secured her the third-place finish, while Kimberly Williams, the other Jamaican in the event, placed fifth with a best mark of 13.96m.

Dominica's Thea LaFond made her mark on history during the fiercely contested women's triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Despite finishing fifth, LaFond's performance was nothing short of remarkable, as she broke her own national record not once, but twice during the competition, with jumps of 14.71m and 14.90m. These marks would have secured her a medal in most world championships, highlighting the level of competition she faced.

 The women's triple jump event was a showcase of unparalleled athleticism and grit, with Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela securing her fourth world title with a leap of 15.08m on her final jump. The competition was defined by its intensity, with Rojas narrowly making the final round of jumps after initially being tied for eighth. Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk clinched the silver medal with a season's best of 15.00m, while Cuba's Leyanis Perez-Hernandez secured the bronze with a jump of 14.96m.

 Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts, a two-time world championship silver medalist, claimed fourth place with a season's best of 14.93m, while Cuba's Liadagmis Povea's best effort of 14.87m placed her in sixth position in the closely contested contest.

 Reflecting on her remarkable journey, LaFond expressed the historic significance of the event.

 "So the competition was really, honestly like history making, to be honest. I mean, you're talking about probably the hardest women's triple term final in the history of the World Championships and it was it was a battle and I'm happy to be part of it and as happy as able to fight, but it was definitely a battle," she said.

 LaFond acknowledged the work she had put in to refine her technique leading up to the event.

 "Earlier this year we did talk about working on different parts of the phases and to the question of did it all come together at the right time, honestly, no. I mean that 1490 was not a perfect jump. It was far from it, which only tells me that there's more left in the tank and I'm excited to see what comes next," she told Sportsmax.TV.

 While her performance would have secured a medal in most years, LaFond faced the challenge of competing in a highly competitive field. "To be honest, 14.90m would have won a medal any year and it's like it's definitely frustrating, you know, but it is quite an honor to be competing in the sport at the height of the sport, truly. But yeah, it's a tough reality."

LaFond candidly expressed her feelings about the thrilling finale of the competition, where Rojas clinched victory with her final jump.

 "It was definitely, I don't even know if the word is deflating. It was just kind of annoying," she confessed. "She was definitely the most vulnerable she's ever looked in the competition, definitely in any major championships, but definitely not deflating. Annoying definitely, but there's nothing deflating over here."

 Amidst the intense competition and emotions, LaFond highlighted the remarkable progression of the sport.

 "Six women over 14.80m. That just means that our sport is getting insane and we're definitely pushing the limits to what people even thought the sport could be," she said.

"And to see so many women, so, so many minority women at that, I'm at the top of the sport. It's really a great feeling. And I really hope that you know, other, you know, little brown girls around the world are finding inspiration through what we do."