Mariledy Paulino became the first woman to win a gold medal for the Dominican Republic in any sport on Friday, after winning the 400m final in 48.17.
Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser took silver in 48.53 and Poland’s won bronze in 48.98. All eight women in the race ran under 50 seconds — a first in the event at the Olympic level.
“I’m very happy, I still cannot believe that just happened,” Paulino said after her inspiring win.
The 27-year-old quickly made up the stagger after the first 100m and was in a commanding position headed into the final turn.
Her kick on the final 100m put a size gap between her and Eid Naser as she broke the Olympic record in the event, which stood since the Atlanta Games in 1996 when France’s Marie-Jose Perec set the mark.
“I don’t come to compete for the money but because I love athletics, to help motivate the younger generations and because these achievements are also doors that are being opened for the future generations of Dominican people,” she later said.
The field was seemingly wide open since double Olympic defending champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo was not in the final. The Bahamian struggled through the qualifying round and battled with injuries.
—
