Dominica’s Thea Lafond-Gadson Nominated for World Athletics Athletes’ Commission

Dominica: Olympic champion and gold medallist from Dominica, Thea Lafond-Gadson is running for a seat in the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission. The voting for this position will take place before and during the World Athletics Championship which is set to take place in Tokyo from September 8th to 20th, 2025.   

Thea Lafond is one of the ten candidates nominated for six open seats on the commission. The results of the voting are expected to be announced on the final day of the event, September 21.

The voting session will include athletes accredited for the championships, with this year introducing a new hybrid voting system. For the first time, votes will be casted either in person or online with an extended window designed to accommodate athletes arriving late or departing early.  

Thea Lafond is notably the only candidate from the Caribbean region vying for this position. If elected she will aim to shape key decisions in global athletics by serving on the commission, which advises the World Athletics Council and represents athletes interests within the organization.  

The election campaign follows Thea Lafond’s historic performance at the Paris Olympics 2024, where she secured first ever gold medal for Dominica in the women’s triple jump category. Her candidacy in the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission now represents another milestone for Dominica.  

The official campaign period for these elections will kick off from August 25, during which the candidates will promote platforms to fellow athletes. Other key nominees for the position include.  

1. Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh (Jordan) 
2. Andreas Almgren (Sweden) 
3. Lia Apostolovski (Slovenia) 
4. Joan Chelimo (Romania) 
5. Lisanne de Witte (Netherlands) 
6. Ramil Guliyev (Türkiye) 
7. Anna Ryzhykova (Ukraine) 
8. Hassan Taftian (Iran) 
9. Gia Trevisan (Italy) 

Once the elections will be concluded, the new commission will also vote internally to select a Deputy Chair.