As the Navy football players went through practice Wednesday evening, they might not have noticed the woman sitting on a bench just behind the goalposts. After practice concluded and the entire team took a knee to listen to coach Brian Newberry, that woman used crutches to hobble over to the team huddle. At first, the players did not see who it was because she was standing behind Newberry.
Then Newberry announced to the players that they were going to be a “a little star struck” and stepped aside to reveal Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond. Suddenly, the entire team erupted into a raucous celebration. Representing her home country of Dominica, LaFond won the triple jump at the Paris Olympics last month, jumping 15.
02 meters (49 1⁄4 feet). LaFond competed collegiately at the University of Maryland. Thea’s brother is Navy junior defensive end Chreign LaFond, who is currently second on the depth chart.
After Newberry introduced Thea to the Navy football team on Wednesday, Chreign immediately got up and gave his sister a huge hug, much to the delight of his teammates. “It was awesome having Thea talk to our team. It was one of the most impactful messages I’ve ever heard given to a team from the outside,” Newberry said.
“I couldn’t have scripted what she said any better. It was a poignant message that paralleled perfectly with the things we talk about and try to instill in our players. “The beautiful thing is that it came from an Olympic champion and not from one of the coaches.
Her message was so similar, but said in her own unique way, which resonated with our players and staff. She’s an absolute rock star.” Chreign LaFond was practicing at the same time his sister was competing.
He saw her leap into first place on his phone but didn’t know the outcome. During a water break, Newberry told the entire team to gather on the sideline then called for Chreign to step forward. “Hey, your sister just won a gold medal,” Newberry loudly proclaimed.
All the players immediately erupted in celebration, cheering as they mobbed LaFond. A video of the entire scene posted to the Navy Football account on X, formerly Twitter, went viral. Over in Paris, Thea watched the video and was brought to tears.
Chreign was the only member of the family that did not travel to France to see Thea compete in person and was silently upset about missing such a momentous occasion. “Seeing Chreign’s teammates embrace him after he found out I won gold was unbelievable. He was so sad he wasn’t with the family [in Paris] and I kind of think he felt lonely,” Thea said.
“In that moment, he immediately wasn’t lonely anymore. His second family was here to celebrate with him and it meant the world to me and my family.” LaFond’s visit and post-practice speech may have been the highlight of preseason camp to date.
By all accounts, the Silver Spring native delivered an inspirational speech that truly resonated with both the players and coaches. LaFond received another standing ovation after speaking to the team and dozens of players, coaches and support personnel stayed long after practice to meet her and take pictures. Really inspiring to see Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visit .
— Luke Slabaugh (@LukeSlabaugh) Thea LaFond later met with the media and was asked what her message to the Navy football team was. “I really want them to understand that they have the same privilege I do in terms of a field event. You have multiple opportunities, play to play — or in my case jump to jump — to make a difference,” LaFond said.
“You don’t linger and harp on the negatives of what happened in the past. You have a clean slate every time and you have the ability to capitalize on that. It’s a power, so use it to your advantage.
” Thea LaFond was walking with crutches on Wednesday because she recently underwent a surgical procedure to repair a minor fracture in her right leg. LaFond revealed that she won the gold medal despite an injury that is quite serious for a world-class jumper. “My knee has been bothering me since February.
.. and I had two options: Either learn how to manage the pain and wait until after the Olympics to have surgery or not jump for three months.
Clearly, not jumping was not an option,” she said. Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visited Navy football practice. Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond is a junior defensive end for Navy.
(Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visited Navy football practice. Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond is a junior defensive end for Navy. (Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visited Navy football practice.
Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond is a junior defensive end for Navy. (Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Navy Football head coach, Brian Newberry, Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond, and Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond, right, a junior defensive end, pose for a photo as she visited Navy football practice. (Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Navy Football coaching staff poses for a photo with Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond, as she visited Navy football practice.
(Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visited Navy football practice. Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond is a junior defensive end for Navy. (Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond, center, breaks the huddle with members of the Navy football team as she visited Navy football practice.
Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond, right, is a junior defensive end for Navy. (Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond visited Navy football practice. Thea’s brother Chreign LaFond is a junior defensive end for Navy.
(Ronnie Gillis, Navy Football) Thea acknowledged initially having some concerns after Chreign announced he would accept an appointment to the Naval Academy coming out of Archbishop Carroll in D.C. “I was like: Is this what you really want to do? It’s a very large commitment, not only to yourself but to the nation,” she said.
“Then we watched him grow and develop into an amazing young man on and off the field. Seeing that maturity — and even just his thought process, his way of living and thinking — change for the better made us realize we no longer had any concerns. “It really has become a true pride for our family to say that [Chreign] is at the Naval Academy.
To see the growth in my brother is amazing.” Related Articles Chreign LaFond certainly has grown as he is now 6-foot-5 and 262 pounds. He has blossomed into a productive player and is expected to see plenty of action backing up starting defensive end Justin Reed this season.
However, Thea still refers to Chreign as her baby brother. “He’s a big baby, but he’s still the baby of the family,” she said. Thea, who traveled to Annapolis with her husband and coach Aaron Gadson on Wednesday, is looking forward to attending Navy football games this season to see her brother play.
“This kid always said that he felt like he had so much to give and now he’s in a place where the world will get to see that. His teammates and coaches have carried him to the moment where he can now show it. It’s great to see him now be able to truly pursue his goals on the field,” Thea said.
Thea LaFond departs Saturday for a 10-day trip to Dominica to take a victory lap as the country’s first and only Olympic medalist. A huge motorcade is planned for Sunday with Thea riding all over the tiny island to soak in the adulation of her native country. “It is a huge national affair.
I’m going to really enjoy this moment and medal with my country,” she said. LaFond has now represented Dominica in three straight Summer Olympics and was asked if she plans to defend her gold medal at the 2028 games in Los Angeles. “I don’t know yet.
I’m still trying to figure out what the next 10 days in Dominica are going to look like. I’m also trying not to take away from being in the moment and being grateful for the present,” she said..
