Jumps Coach

Aaron Gadson ’05 took a humble and somewhat unexpected route to becoming a jumps coach. A star on the track team during his time at Exeter, Gadson enjoyed continued success at Cornell University. After graduation, he still had the itch to train but quickly found that coaching was the only way to gain consistent access to a training facility.

“I fell into coaching by necessity,” Gadson says. “But I quickly realized that there were a lot of kids who were not able to fully hone their talent because they did not have anyone around with the expertise. I felt like I could fill that gap.”

Gadson landed his first coaching position at the high school level, where skilled instructors in the long jump and triple jump are often hard to find. His quantitative and technical approach helped develop young athletes who took state, regional and national honors. Eventually he began working with more advanced athletes with big dreams.

A former Cornell teammate recommended Gadson to Thea LaFond, a rising star in the triple jump who qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro but did not reach the finals. She was looking to push herself even further. As Gadson paid meticulous attention to technique and tailored her workouts, he and LaFond developed a strong foundation, professionally and personally. Their collaboration yielded increasingly impressive results. Over time, their partnership deepened and they married in 2022.

“When we first started working out,” Gadson says, “it was something that I took as an extreme honor and something that I wanted to make sure went well. There wasn’t any intention for anything to blossom outside of a good coaching relationship. We immediately developed a relationship of trust and good communication. The rest is kind of history.”

Their shared dedication and work ethic culminated in a historic moment at the Paris Olympics this summer, when LaFond won gold in the triple jump, earning the first Olympic medal for her home country, Dominica.

Following the Games, they traveled to Dominica, where they were welcomed as heroes. “The celebration was like something out of a movie,” Gadson says. “Thousands of people filled the streets, the prime minister gave a speech and showered us with gifts. It was like something you would see after winning the Super Bowl.”

A journey which was ignited through passion and a means to an end, transformed into a legacy that includes the ultimate prize in the sport.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.