"I am one of the favorites," claims Marileidy Paulino ahead of 400m

The Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino arrives at the Olympic Games as one of the leading contenders for the gold medal in the 400 meters. The 27-year-old athlete, who has already proven her worth with a notable career, also dreams of breaking the world record.

Paulino will make her debut on Monday, 5 August, in the first heat of the grand Parisian event. For now, her success stands her in good stead, having won two silver medals at Tokyo 2020: first in the 400m and then in the mixed 4x400m relay.

This achievement made her the first Dominican woman to secure a medal in athletics for her country.Her path to victory continued a year later at the World Championships held in Eugene, where she claimed gold in the mixed category after surpassing her idol, the American legend Allyson Felix, in the relay.

At the same tournament, she also earned a silver medal in the individual event, an accomplishment she surpassed by winning the gold medal at the 2023 World Championships held in Budapest.

In an interview with AFP, Paulino admitted that her experience in Tokyo made her more widely known: "The Marileidy who arrived in Tokyo wasn’t very well known. Now many people know me.

Winning a world title puts me in the spotlight among other athletes; I am one of the favourites."Paulino, who has a personal best of 48.76 seconds, feels in excellent shape for these Olympic Games. "I have prepared very well. Physically and mentally, I am more than ready. I just have to wait for the day," said the athlete.

Her goal is to break the 48-second barrier and win the Olympic gold. It is no surprise that Paulino is regarded as the best in the world, as she currently ranks first in the women’s 400m on the World Athletics ranking with 1479 points. 

posted Wednesday July 31st
by Javier Carro