Marileidy Paulino meets expectations, wins 400 meters gold

Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino delivered a dominant performance to win the gold medal in the 400 meters at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo. Competing under heavy rain, Paulino set a new regional record of 48.94 seconds, breaking her own previous mark from the 2023 San Salvador Games by one-tenth of a second. "For me, it was a good race; I've always said that rain is a blessing. I think I ran an excellent race. I've run in the rain at World Championships and Olympic Games," Paulino told EFE after her victory. She described her emotions as "incredible" and expressed deep gratitude to the Dominican people for their unwavering support. Paulino attributed her success to persistent effort and dedicated preparation, assuring fans, "You will have Marileidy for a long time." Cuba's Roxanna Gómez took silver with 49.99 seconds, and Shafiqua Maloney of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines secured bronze at 51.77 seconds. Paulino was enthusiastically cheered by a packed Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, wrapping herself in the Dominican flag after her significant win. Earlier in the week, Paulino also anchored the mixed 4x400 relay team that secured the Dominican Republic's second athletics gold medal.

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For me, it was a good race; I've always said that rain is a blessing. I think I ran an excellent race. I've run in the rain at World Championships and Olympic Games.