Dominican Republic’s 27-year old Marileidy Paulino is the 400m queen. She clocked 49.45 at the Diamond League race on Friday, 13 September 2024 held at the Allianz Memorian Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium, the last of 2024. After winning the race, Paulino commented it was a cold night. The win was her third 400m Diamond League championship in a row.
USA’s Alexis Holmes was second with a time of 50.32s and Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland was third with a time of 50.96s. Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, the 2019 World Champion and silver medalist in the Paris Olympics, had finished third with a time of 50.64 seconds but was later disqualified for lane infringement.
Paulino has had a great 2024. She is the reigning Olympic Champion, the current Olympic record holder (48.17), the reigning World Champion, and now officially the 2024 Diamond League champion. The race in Brussels was her latest win in an undefeated year.
Financially it has been her best year. She gets US$10,000 for winning the Diamond League race, and an additional US$30,000 for the race championship. The Brussels race was but an additional race. Paulino had already secured the prestigious trophy and cash awards with her previous wins at the start of the season (Xiamen, Shanghai/Suzhou, Oslo and Silesia).
Next on Paulino’s agenda is the Athlos Track Meet Athlos track meet—an all-women’s competition that’s set for 26 September 2024 in New York City. The race is promising “the largest prize purse ever for a women’s track event,” with US$60,000 going to the winner of each race and prize money down to sixth place.
There is no doubt that the DR’s best woman athlete of all times, a native of Don Gregorio in Peravia province, the same town that gave us baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, is a major star in the world of track and field. In 2024, she defeated everyone who offered a challenge, and perhaps she even forced other potential challengers to try other events rather than go head-to-head with her.
The media has been reporting on her earnings of US$10,000 for each individual Diamond Race (5 x US$10,000), US$30,000 for the Diamond Trophy, plus US$50,000 for setting the Olympic record and another RD$15 million (around US$250,000) from the Dominican government for winning gold in the Paris Olympics. She now has the chance to cash in on the US$60,000 cash prize in the New York City race set for 26 September 2024.
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16 September 2024