Dominican Republic takes women’s 400m gold in Olympic record

Another Olympic record has gone down in the women’s 400m final on Friday. Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic dominated the race, clocking 48.17 to take down the Olympic record (48.25) that had stood since Atlanta 1996. Paulino took control midway through the final curve over a deep field of competitors, leading all eight women to sub-50-second finishes. Paulino is the first woman from the Dominican Republic to win this title; her new time is the fourth fastest in history.

Joining her on the podium in Paris is Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who earned silver in 48.53, with Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (2023 world championships silver medallist) taking bronze in 48.98.

Sub-49 to make the podium 😮‍💨

🥇 @Marileidy_P 48.17 OR 🇩🇴
🥈 Salwa Eid Naser 48.53 🇧🇭
🥉 Natalia Kaczmarek 48.98 🇵🇱#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Nsi426Eo7b

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 9, 2024

Paulino was the defending silver medallist from Tokyo 2020 and the reigning world champion in the event. Her fitness was evident in Wednesday’s semi-finals, when she eased up with 50m to go, cruising to win her heat in 49.21–the fastest time in the entire round.

 

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The 27-year-old’s performance marks the Dominican Republic’s first gold and third overall medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.