Marileidy Paulino

Sports Career of Marileidy Paulino | Marileidy Paulino Biography

Marileidy Paulino is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 400-meter. She began competing internationally in 2016, participating in the NACAC U23 Championships in El Salvador, where she finished sixth in the 200-meter.

In 2017, she competed at the World University Games in Taiwan in the 200-meter. Although she later became a 400-meter specialist, she still rarely contested the event in her early career. Paulino only ran the event once in 2017, running 56.30 seconds in Santo Domingo.

She ran the 100-meter and 200-meter exclusively during the outdoor season in 2018, posting times of 11.39 seconds and 22.87 seconds, respectively.

Paulino got her first chance to run at the World Championships in 2019, running 23.03 seconds in the 200-meter and finishing sixth in her semi-final. Shortly after, she went on to finish second at the Military World Games in October.

Paulino’s transition to the 400-meter came in 2020. She only ran the race once due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting the season short, but her one race was a personal best of 51.88 seconds.

Paulino raced the 400-meter almost exclusively in 2021, opening her season in March with a personal best of 50.31 seconds. She set another personal best in Spain in May and returned in June to break the 50-second barrier for the first time, running 49.99 seconds at Meeting Iberoamericano.

Paulino took this momentum into the Olympics in Tokyo, where she ran close to this time again in the prelims. She followed this up by winning her semi-final with a personal best of 49.38 seconds and then running 49.20 seconds two days later in the final to finish second behind Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

Paulino went back to running 200s occasionally in 2022, running a personal best of 22.36 at the Dominican Championships in June. She won several Diamond League events in the 400-meter leading into the World Championships in Eugene, but she would once again have to settle for second behind Miller-Uibo.

In the 2022 Diamond League Final in Zurich, she ran a personal best of 48.99 seconds to end her season.

Paulino would continue her dominance in 2023, winning each of her first 12 races in individual events of the season, including a 48.98-second time at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. She cruised through the preliminary and semi-finals at the World Championships in Budapest before running 48.76 in the final to take home gold. She finished off her season by winning the 200-meter at the Pan American Games.

Marileidy Paulino 2024 | Marileidy Paulino Paris 2024

Paulino went into 2024 as one of the favorites to win the Olympic Games in Paris. She met these expectations with a perfect season, winning every race in an individual race the entire season. She ran a personal best in the Olympic final to capture gold with a time of 48.17 seconds.

Paulino was in peak form in 2025, running a new personal best in the final of the World Championships in Tokyo of 47.98 seconds and finishing second. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran the second-fastest time in history with 47.78 seconds.

Marileidy Paulino Personal Life and Other Facts | Paulino Marileidy

Paulino is from Nizao in the southern Dominican Republic. She grew up playing volleyball and qualified for the national handball team. After a year of playing, several coaches included her in a track and field camp. She was later recruited by the Dominican Athletics Federation. She started her career by running barefoot. 

She’s the first woman to win an individual gold medal at the World Championships.

She was raised by her mother, Anatalia Paulina, and has five siblings. In her own words, she comes from a “poor, humble family.”

Retired baseball player Vladimir Guerrero is from the same hometown. Guerrero gave Paulino’s mother a TV to watch her daughter compete.

FAQs | Marileidy Paulino

Where Is Marileidy Paulino From?

Marileidy Paulino is from Nizao, Dominican Republic.

How Many Medals Does Marileidy Paulino Have?

Marileidy Paulino has an Olympic gold medal and two silver medals. She also has two gold medals and a silver medal from the World Championships.