LaFond emigrated from Dominica to the United States as a young child. During her childhood, she was a dancer (
ballerina). She is a graduate of
John F. Kennedy High School in
Silver Spring, Maryland, where she later returned to be a special education teacher. At the
University of Maryland, LaFond was a multi-event
athlete who competed in the
heptathlon and
indoor pentathlon. LaFond competed at the
2016 Summer Olympics in the
women's triple jump; her result of 12.82 meters in the qualifying round did not qualify her for the final. Competing at the
2018 Commonwealth Games, she made history, becoming the first Dominican athlete to win a medal
at the Commonwealth Games after securing a bronze medal in the
women's triple jump. She competed at the
2020 Summer Olympics, where she served as
Dominica's flag bearer, alongside fellow track and field athlete
Dennick Luke. During the
2022 Commonwealth Games, she improved her result and won a silver medal in the
women's triple jump event. On 3 March 2024, LaFond became the first person from
Dominica to win a
World Championship gold medal, after taking first place in
women's triple jump at the
2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, setting a
national record of 15.01 m. She won her country's first-ever Olympic medal when she took gold at the
Paris Games, setting a new
national record record of 15.02 metres in the process. Thereafter, she was rewarded by the government of Dominica with $400,000, appointment as a national sports ambassador, a diplomatic passport, as well as a parcel of land in the village of Warner,
Saint Paul Parish. A track and field facility would also be built and named in her honour, and she would be granted the
Dominica Award of Honour during independence day celebrations in early November. == Personal life ==