Navy Football Player Finds Out During Practice His Sister Won An Olympic Gold Medal

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Navy defensive end Chreign LaFond got some pretty cool news during practice on Saturday: His big sister, Thea LaFond, won an Olympic gold medal in the triple jump.

A video posted to social media shows the Midshipmen — decked out in half pads and helmets during a hot day in Maryland — lined up on the field when head coach Brian Newberry called over LaFond.

"Your sister just won a gold medal," he said casually.

The 6-foot-5 junior was then swarmed by his teammates, all jumping up and down, cheering and smacking him on the helmet.

Now, I know this video is supposed to be heartwarming, and it is.

But I have a serious bone to pick with Coach Newberry: This guy's sister made it to the finals in the OLYMPICS, and you wouldn't even let him watch? The Chicago Bears excused Jonathan Owens (Mr. Simone Biles) for two weeks during Training Camp so that he could watch his wife compete live in Paris, and you can't even give Chreign 30 minutes away from practice to watch his sister on TV?!

That's just garbage behavior, Coach. Especially since Thea LaFond's gold medal was a really big deal.

Navy Football Player Finds Out During Practice His Sister Won An Olympic Gold Medal

Thea LaFond is the first-ever Olympic medalist competing for Dominica.

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Thea LaFond Makes History

Thea is the only track & field athlete competing for Dominica — a tiny nation in the Caribbean — and her gold is the first EVER Olympic medal for the country.

There are virtually no facilities for track and field on the island. Plans to build a track have been stalled for years, LaFond explained.

"It’s an understatement to say it’s a really big deal," LaFond said after her victory, according to Newsweek. "Sometimes you wonder if being from a small country means that you have less accessibility to resources. … But we’ve been really big on (prioritizing) quality and just executing it."

LaFond left Dominica for the United States when she was 5. The now-30-year-old attended the University of Maryland, where she was a multi-event track and field athlete for the Terps.

Surely she's in for one heck of a homecoming party when she comes back from Paris. Hopefully, Coach Newberry will let Chreign stop by.