Marileidy Paulino wins gold with a record in the 400 meters

Not even the rain could stop her. Marileidy Paulino claimed the gold medal in the 400 meters at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games with a time of 48.94 seconds, a new Games record, raced under a downpour at the Félix Sánchez track.

The “Dominican gazelle” broke her own mark of 49.95 seconds, set in San Salvador, and settled the race in the final 150 meters, opening a gap no one could close.

The complete podium

• 🥇 Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) — 48.94 s
• 🥈 Roxana Gómez (Cuba) — 49.99 s
• 🥉 Shafiqua Maloney (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) — 51.77 s
• 4th Andrea Rivera (Puerto Rico) — 52.01 s

Dominican Anabel Medina finished eighth in the final.

“This race belongs to you”

The dedication was as big as the record. “Today I did not run only for a medal. I ran thinking of every Dominican who gets up to work hard and, very especially, so that my beloved people of Don Gregorio could live it, get excited and feel proud,” said the champion. “This race is not mine. This race is yours and it is for you.”

President Luis Abinader joined the celebration from his social media: “What pride, Marileidy! Today you prove once again that talent, discipline and perseverance take you to the top against all odds.”

A double that magnifies her

This gold is Marileidy’s second of the Games: she had previously won the mixed 4×400 relay. With 48.94, she adds another page to a résumé that already includes her Olympic gold in Paris 2024 and her world crowns, now with the Dominican crowd as witness and accomplice.

The key figure

48.94 seconds. The fastest lap in Central American Games history, signed in the rain with the whole country watching.