Marileidy Paulino excluded from IAAF Athlete of the Year finalists

Santo Domingo.- Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino has not been selected as one of the 12 finalists for the International Athletics Federation’s Athlete of the Year award. The IAAF has named six female and six male athletes as the best in their disciplines for 2024. Among the female nominees are American sprinters Allyson Felix and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, as well as Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Belgian thrower Nafissatou Thiam, and marathon runners Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya and Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands. The male nominees include Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Letsile Tebogo, Mondo Duplantis, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Brian Pintado, and Tamirat Tola.

Paulino, alongside Ecuadorian Daniel Pintado, was one of the few Spanish-speaking athletes nominated. The winner of the award will be determined through a public vote from November 4 to 10. Notably, Marileidy Paulino is celebrated for winning the gold medal in the women’s 400-meter event at the last Olympic Games, making her the first Dominican woman to achieve this honor and only the third athlete from the country to secure an Olympic gold medal.