Dominican Olympic and world champion Marileidy Paulino qualified first for the 400-meter flat final at the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 on Tuesday, winning her heat in 50.63 seconds.
Paulino controlled the track and field event from start to finish at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium. She secured first place comfortably without having to push her maximum speed, sealing her place in Wednesday's gold medal race.
Dominican Medal Hopes
As the primary figure in Dominican athletics and the favorite to take the top spot on the podium, Paulino reinforced her status as a regional benchmark. Competing with the full support of the Dominican crowd, her solid performance ensures she enters the decisive race in optimal condition to expand her international gold medal record.
Paulino's qualification maintains strong expectations for the Dominican delegation to secure another gold medal in track and field. The sport has already provided major results for the host country in this edition of the regional tournament.
