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The 30-year-old triple jumper wanted gold in Paris at all cost and decided to evade going under the knife to realize her dream.
Paris Olympics triple jump champion Thea LaFond has said skipping to go under the knife before the Paris Olympic Games was a harsh decision but was a blessing in disguise.
Unknown to most of the track and field world, LaFond was nursing a knee injury that could have ended her competitive 2024 campaign in February – and which required surgery just two days after her victory in Paris.
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20:24 - 13.12.2024
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An MRI scan on her knee before the World Indoor Championships found a minor fracture on her cartilage. She was told she could either stop jumping for three months and miss the Olympic Games or deal with it afterwards.
She chose the latter course and the 30-year-old nailed gold in Paris with a second-round effort time of 15.02m, as Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts took silver with 14.87m. "The mentality was that I wanted the gold,” LaFond told the University of Maryland website umterps.com as reported by World Athletics.
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18:27 - 13.12.2024
'Based on feelings' - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reveals the fame-driven 'mistake' she almost made in 2018
McLaughlin-Levrone's decision to stick with her initial sponsor was decided by her mother when the Olympian was at crossroads.
“If it took blowing my knee apart, then so be it. An Olympic medal changes your life. Olympic gold sets your life up for success,” she added.
The 2024 World Indoor Champion immediately underwent surgery after the Paris Olympics. The surgeon poked the fracture where a chip of her cartilage broke off and was on crutches for weeks.
Her Olympic success in Paris was not just a David and Goliath triumph for her homeland but a victory against the odds in several respects for the late bloomer who, in 2024, has taken over from the injured world record-holder Yulimar Rojas as the world’s leading female hop, step and jump merchant.
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