By 2026, Marileidy Paulino was no longer chasing the fastest women in the world. They were chasing her. Two years after making history in Paris, the Dominican sprinter faced a different kind of challenge: staying at the top. By September, no one had managed to catch her.
Her path to the top began far from the Olympic spotlight. Growing up in Nizao, Dominican Republic, Paulino did not discover athletics until relatively late, after trying other sports. But when she found the track, something clicked. What followed was a remarkable rise that carried her from Nizao to the Olympic stage in Paris, where she won the 400-meter gold and became the first Dominican woman to win an individual Olympic title.
The victory could have been the defining moment of her career. Instead, it became the beginning of another chapter.
© Getty ImagesThroughout 2026, Paulino kept showing up at the finish line first. She won Diamond League races in Doha, Paris, Monaco, London, Silesia and Brussels. In Paris, she ran 48.48, at the time the fastest women’s 400 meters of the year. By Brussels, she had reclaimed the Diamond League title, her fourth overall.
September brought another test for the Dominican champion. At the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Paulino claimed the 400-meter title in 49.07. Six days later, she was back on the track at Athlos in London. This time, as the race entered its final stretch, she was the one doing the chasing.
Then came the surge that has become so familiar. Paulino powered through the closing meters and crossed the line in 48.73, keeping her undefeated 2026 season intact. It was also the 15th time in her career that she had broken 49 seconds, tying the all-time record.
© Getty ImagesAt 29, Paulino is no longer chasing recognition. She is an Olympic champion, a two-time world champion, and the world’s No. 1-ranked woman in the 400 meters.
In the Dominican Republic, her victories carry meaning beyond the stopwatch. Every time Paulino steps onto an international podium, the flag of a Caribbean nation of roughly 11 million people rises with her. She has given Dominican sports another global stage and a champion whose story began far from the traditional centers of track and field.
Even though Paulino came to the track later than most, she wasted little time making her mark. Two years after the greatest victory of her career, she still runs as though there is something left to prove. And everyone else is still trying to catch her.
