Marileidy Paulino wins semifinal and advances to 400-meter final

Budapest.- Dominican star Marileidy Paulino advanced to the women’s 400-meter final at the World Ultimate Championships after winning her semifinal in 49.58 seconds, the fastest time of the qualifying round.

Paulino controlled the race and finished ahead of Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who clocked 49.67 seconds, and Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce, who finished in 49.72. Cuba’s Roxana Gómez placed fourth and failed to advance.

Paulino enters final as favorite

Paulino’s 49.58 was the fastest 400-meter time of the semifinals, putting the Dominican athlete in a strong position to compete for the gold medal.

She will face Naser and Pryce again in the final, setting up one of the most anticipated races of the championships.

The final will give Paulino an opportunity to add another major international title to her already decorated career, which includes Olympic gold at Paris 2024 and multiple world titles.

For the Dominican Republic, all eyes will now be on Paulino as she bids for another global championship in the women’s 400 meters.