Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic solidified her status as one of the all-time greats in the 400m, capturing Olympic gold in a stunning and historic race at the Paris 2024 Games on Friday. In what is now the fastest 400m race in Olympic history, Paulino stormed to victory, shattering the Olympic record with an extraordinary time of 48.17 seconds.
Paulino, known for her powerful and controlled running style, took command of the race from the start. She maintained her composure through the first 300m and then unleashed a devastating kick down the home stretch, pulling away from a world-class field to claim her first Olympic title. Her time of 48.17 seconds broke the long-standing Olympic record of 48.25 seconds, set by Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Trailing Paulino was Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked a season-best 48.53 seconds to take the silver medal. Naser, who has been gradually returning to her best form after a few challenging seasons, showed glimpses of the brilliance that saw her run the third-fastest time in history, 48.14 seconds, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The bronze medal went to Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland, who crossed the line in 48.98 seconds, marking her as the third woman in the race to break the 49-second barrier—a testament to the extraordinary quality of the competition.
The race was exceptional from start to finish, with all eight finalists clocking sub-50-second times. Ireland’s rising star, Rhasidat Adeleke, finished fourth in 49.28 seconds, just a fraction ahead of Great Britain's Amber Anning, who set a new personal best of 49.29 seconds. Alexis Holmes of the USA also set a lifetime best, finishing sixth in 49.77 seconds, while Sada Williams of Barbados was seventh in 49.83 seconds. Norway's Henriette Jaeger rounded out the field, finishing eighth in 49.96 seconds.
Paulino’s victory adds another prestigious trophy to her growing collection, which already includes two World Championship silver medals. Her performance in Paris not only cements her legacy but also raises the bar for future generations of 400m runners.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Jamaica’s Beckford finishes 10th in high jump in Paris; New Zealand’s Kerr wins gold ahead of USA’s McEwen, Bahrain’s Barshim
Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford had a best clearance of 2.22m for 10th in the final of the Men’s high jump at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The 22-year-old had a first-time clearance at 2.17m before clearing 2.22m on his second attempt.
He then exited the competition after three failures at his season’s and personal best height of 2.27m.
New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr took gold over the USA’s Shelby McEwen after a jump-off.
Both men had identical cards after successful first-time clearances at 2.36m, an Oceania record for Kerr and personal best for McEwen, and three failures at 2.38m.
In the subsequent jump-off, both men failed at 2.38m and 2.36m before Kerr successfully cleared 2.34m after a failure from McEwen.
Bahrain’s Mutaz Essa Barshim secured his fourth Olympic high jump medal with a season’s best 2.34m in third.
T&T's Paul through to Keirin quarterfinals; compatriot Browne, Suriname's Tjon En Fa miss out
Trinidad and Tobago's standout cyclist Nicholas Paul produced a spectacular performance to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the men's Keirin competition at the Paris Olympic Games on Saturday.
Paul, won heat five in tidy fashion to continue his hunt for an Olympic medal in the competition, which will conclude on Sunday, August 11.
Another Trinidad and Tobago representative, Kwesi Browne, finished third in heat four and failed to progress. He was given a second chance through the repechage round, but that race also ended in disappointment as he fell during the final lap and did not finish.
Meanwhile, Suriname's Jair Tjon En Fa also failed to make the most of his second chance in the repechage round, as he finished fourth in repechage heat three and failed to progress to the quarterfinals. He initially placed fourth in heat one of the preliminary round.
Emma Hayes in dreamland after coaching USA to Olympic gold
Emma Hayes thanked her late father for helping her achieve her "dream" after coaching the United States to Olympic gold at Paris 2024.
USA defeated Brazil 1-0 in Saturday's final at the Parc des Princes through Mallory Swanson's goal just before the hour mark.
Hayes only took over as USWNT head coach in May, after leaving her role at Chelsea, and tasted success in her first tournament in charge.
Speaking to Discovery+ at full-time as the celebrations started, Hayes said: "I'm very emotional. It's been a dream of mine.
"I have to thank my dad - he's the one who pushed me to this position, to be able to come and coach an unbelievable group of players."
Hayes' father, who she has long described as a cornerstone in her football career, passed away last year.
"I've got my dad's necklace on," Hayes said post-match. "It's got an American eagle, and he was with me today and that helped.
"The crowd were tremendous. Brazil were tremendous. I'm just speechless. I'm in shock."
The United States have now won five Olympic golds in the women's final - four more than any other nation - with this their first since 2012.
Swanson calmly converted to give USA the victory in the French capital on her landmark 100th senior appearance for her national side.
This latest triumph comes 10 games into Hayes' tenure and puts the poor showings at the 2020 Games and 2023 World Cup in the past.
"They have received me so well and taken on board everything I've asked," Hayes added. "They're tremendous people, players and role models and I love them."
Brazil have still yet to win an Olympic gold in the tournament, with this their third runners-up finish after also falling just short in 2004 and 2008.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
