Paris Olympic gold medalist Marileidy Paulino capped off an impressive weekend by winning the 200-meter dash during the third day of the Grand Slam Track (GST) 2025 at Philadelphia’s iconic Franklin Field on Sunday, 1 June 2025. Paulino clocked a seasonal best time of 22.46 seconds, solidifying her dominance in the tournament organized by athletics legend Michael Johnson.
She was the long sprints champion of the meet. The win in Philadelphia also means cash prizes of US$100,000 for each race for Paulino, or US$200,000 over the weekend.
Isabella Whittaker of the United States placed second with a time of 22.82 seconds, followed by Jessika Gbai in third with 22.85 seconds, and Salwa Eid Nasser in fourth with 22.90 seconds.
Marileidy Paulino is the first and only winner of an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic. Her weekend performance earned her 24 points, putting her in a strong position in the overall racer category event that concludes later this month after the final stage is held in Los Angeles.
Paulino had made a career of running and winning the 400m and now she is doing double duty of the 200m and the 400m. And she is winning at both.
On the previous Saturday afternoon, she had ran a time of 49.12 seconds to secure first place in the 400-meter dash.
Paulino’s Sunday victory extended her control over the event, much like she did during the second day of the GST at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Miami. There, she recorded a time of 22.30 seconds in the 200 meters, outpacing formidable rivals such as Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser (22.53 s) and America’s Isabella Whittaker (22.76 s), who finished second and third, respectively.
About the Grand Slam Track
The first leg of the Grand Slam was held at the Kingston National Stadium in Jamaica, marking the beginning of four stages of competition. The event distributes a total of US$12.6 million in prize money throughout the season’s four races.
At each of this year’s four Grand Slam Track meetings, athletes compete in two races and earn points based on their results: 1st place – 12 points, 2nd place – 8 points, 3rd place – 6 points, 4th place – 5 points, 5th place – 4 points, 6th place – 3 points, 7th place – 2 points, and 8th place – 1 point. This means the maximum number of points an athlete can earn at each Grand Slam Track meeting is 24.
Grand Slam Track Los Angeles
The event will conclude with its fourth stop in Los Angeles from 27 to 29 June at the Drake Stadium at UCLA.
In the Racer of the Year Category, Paulino is ranked second with 62 points behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the USA who has 66 points. In third place is Sydney McLaughlin of the USA with 60 points. The separate prize pool for this Racer of the Year category is US$100,000 to be awarded to the male and female “Racer of the Year” at the end of the season, based on overall points earned throughout the four slams.
Think MLB and NBA athletes. The intention of the Grand Slam races is to treat track athletes as high-earning professional athletes. Every single participant in the Grand Slam leaves with cash. The league seeks to keep audiences interested in watching runners, and not having to wait four years for the major championships or competitions.
Read more:
Grand Slam Track
The Grand Slam Track League
The Grand Slam Track Philadelphia Paulino Minute 8
3 June 2025