Many in the Dominican Republic stayed up a bit later on Friday night (22 July 2022), to watch the finals of the Women’s 400-meter finals in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Veteran runner, Shaunee Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas was the favorite, but the two Dominicans running in the race, Marileidy Paulino and Fiordaliza Cofil, had already won gold medals in these World Championships.
At the end, the race ended with a Caribbean sweep. Miller-Uibo won gold with 49.10, followed by Marileidy Paulino with 49.60 and Sada Williams of Barbados with a national record of 49.75.
This was the first time that Dominican women had run in the 400m final in a World Championship. Paulino’s best time into the event had been 49.49. Running in the same event, Fiordaliza Cofil, placed sixth in 50.57. Cofil had anchored the 4 x 400m mixed team that won the gold medal on the opening day of the championships.
The weekend before, the Dominican 4 x 400 Mixed Team (Marileidy Paulino, Lidio Andres Feliz, Alexander Ogando and Fiordaliza Cofil) had beat the USA and take the gold, avenging their loss to Poland in the Tokyo Olympics a year before (Anabel Medina Ventura, Marileidy Paulino, Lidio Andres Feliz and Alexander Ogando).
Her statement to the press afterwards? After a gold and a silver she said: “I want to eat a big pizza!” She will rest for a week before heading to the events of the Diamond League in Europe.
There is no doubt that the Miller-Uibo/Paulino duel will continue throughout this season. Miller-Uibo is a seasoned veteran, but she has lost to Paulino (in Doha). Miller-Uibo had never won gold at the World Championships. This was Paulino’s first championships. What a future!
The Oregon 2022 produced the Dominican Republic’s first gold medal in a relay and the first individual medal for a Dominican track and field female athlete. No other athletes on the team won medals.
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El Dia
World Athletics
25 July 2022