The possible gold medal of Paris 2024 that Marileidy Paulino is looking for This Friday from 2:00 pm could round out the best Olympic cycle for a Dominican athlete.
Marileidy successfully faced the competition calendar that closes with the celebration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which was almost perfect. A demanding period that included two versions of the World Athletics Championships.
Marileidy triumphed at every stage from the Paris cycle in which delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic forced athletes from the mother discipline of Olympism to compete in versions of the World Championship two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023.
In addition to the Olympic gold, the native of Don Gregorio would close with two gold medals and one silver in world championships, two diamond trophies, and multiple harvests in the Central American and Caribbean Games and Pan American Games.
Marileidy, on par with “Super Sanchez”
There is only one possible point of comparison for Marileidy Paulino and that is Félix Sánchez, who won 43 consecutive races in the 400 metres hurdles between 2001 and 2004. An example of dominance that elevated ‘Super Sánchez’ to the status of legend that he enjoys in his retirement.
In 2004, Sanchez won the first Olympic gold for the Dominican Republic, achieved in Athens, Greece; and at the same time dominated every race in the Diamond League. Sánchez’s achievement remains in history with the highest honors and the status of the best Dominican athlete of all time.
In the Athens 2004 cycle (2001-2004), Sánchez also won gold at the World Championships in Edmonton 2001 and Paris 2003.
However, history presented Marileidy with an unprecedented challenge and the native of Nizao fulfilled it with flying colors, as she ran and won in each major event of the cycle and in various races.
Marileidy’s path… until today
Paulino won the silver medal in the women’s 400-meter dash at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, but was also part of the historic quartet of the mixed 4X400 relay that was crowned champion in this event, with the participation of Alexander Ogando, Lidio Félix and Fiordaliza Cofil. Also in 2022, the Diamond League final trophy was won with a victory in Zurich, Switzerland, with a time of 48.99.
The Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games were held in the same year, 2023, an unprecedented challenge.
At San Salvador 2023, against the rivals from the area, Marileidy made a strong impression with gold in the 400 meters (49.95). She added a silver medal in the women’s 4X400 relay and bronze in the 4X100.
Then came the big stage and the time to seek her first individual world championship. Budapest, Hungary, was the stage for the global event and on the afternoon of August 23, Marileidy He walked his rivals in the final with a time of 48.76.
She continued her quest for the diamond trophy in the final in Oregon, United States, where she ran 49.58.
The Pan American Games were a grand finale. Marileidy ran the 200 meters and won gold. She also won gold with the mixed 4X400 quartetsilver in the women’s 4X400 relay and bronze in the 4X100.
In a double milestone, Marileidy became the first Dominican athlete (male or female) with two gold medals and four in total at the Pan American Games.
A golden finish in Paris would leave Marileidy as the owner of the most productive cycle in Dominican Olympic history.
