27-year old Marileidy Paulino, already an Olympic silver medal winner (4 x 400m mixed relay and 400m in Tokyo 2020), has announced that she will not participate in the Mixed 4 x 400 m relay in the Paris Olympics this summer.
The Dominican Republic mixed relay team during The Bahamas relays qualifier this May achieved a slot in the Paris Olympics. But the qualification came only after a heroic feat by Paulino in the last leg of the race. Paulino ran a 48:93 leg, the best of all the women in the event, to move the team’s positioning in the heat from fifth place to second. Paulino’s best time is 48:77 made in the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest where she won gold in the 400m.
The problem is the Dominican athletics team lacks strong male runners, and this diminishes the chances of the DR even making the finals during the Paris Olympics.
In Tokyo 2020 (2021) the Dominican team won the silver medal in the 4x400m, and a few weeks later took the gold at the World Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, so the showing in the Bahamas was disappointing.
Alexander Ogando, who was part of the Tokyo Olympics team, in The Bahamas ran over three seconds slower than his best time. In the Bahamas race, his time of 47.94 was well below what is needed. The other male runner, Yeral Nuñez ran his race in 45.97.
Paulino, through her trainer, says she will concentrate on the 400m event in the Paris Olympics.
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DR1 News
World Athletics 4 x 400 m Bahamas race split times
13 May 2024