IN OUR COVERAGE of last year’s World Championships final, we speculated that Marileidy Paulino’s win may have been aided by the absence of Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
In Paris, the Dominican Republic quartermiler proved she needed no assistance at all, thank you very much.
By 150m, Paulino had the lead, and by 200 — which she reached in 22.81 — she made up the stagger on Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek. From there, it was almost total dominance. In the final 50m, Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, the ’19 world champion, and Kaczmarek made up a little bit of inconsequential ground. Not enough to stop Paulino’s 48.17 Olympic Record — 0.08 faster than Marie-José Pérec’s 48.25 Atlanta96 winner.
Naser claimed silver in 48.53 and Kaczmarek bronze in 48.98.
The time moved Paulino to No. 4 all-time behind the venerable 47.60 of East Germany’s Marita Koch, the 47.99 of Czechoslovakia’s Jarmila Kratochvílová and Naser’s 48.14. The mark was the No. 6 all-time performance.
The middle two sections of Paulino’s lap were particularly impressive and where the race was won. She covered the back straight in 10.94 to Naser’s 11.39, and added another 0.14 in the second curve — 11.97 versus 12.11. From there, she closed in 13.39, Naser in 13.30 and Kaczmarek in 13.32.
It is Paulino’s third Olympic medal. In Tokyo she took silvers in the 400 and mixed 4×4 (with the DR besting the United States by 0.01).
Behind the medalists, Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke (49.28) took 4th, Amber Anning (49.29) scored a British Record in 5th and American Alexis Holmes raced to a 49.77 PR.
“I’m very happy, I still cannot believe that just happened,” said Paulino. “It was either going for the World Record or the Olympic Record, and thank God, I achieved the Olympic Record.
“I don’t come to compete for the money, but because I love athletics, to help motivate the younger generations and because these achievements are also doors that are being opened for the future generations of Dominican people.”
Said Naser, “I cannot even begin to put into words what this means. I am happy and at the same time I am sad.”
Baton ace Kaczmarek said, “I am very glad for this one as it is from the individual event.” The 26-year-old Pole won gold in the mixed 4×4 and silver in the women’s 4×4 in Tokyo. “The medal from a relay is something different.
“I believe I will get a little bit of champagne.”
Holmes was the only American finalist as Aaliyah Butler (51.18) and Kendall Ellis (50.40) were eliminated in the semis. Jamaica’s world leader Nickisha Pryce was derailed in the semis by a reported virus and after winning her heat didn’t make it out of the semis.
WOMEN’S 400 RESULTS
FINAL (August 09)
(temperature 72F/22C; humidity 88%)
1. Marileidy Paulino (DR) 48.17 NR (WL) (4, 6 W) (OR)
(11.87, 10.94 [22.81], 11.97 [34.78], 13.39) (22.81/25.36);
2. Salwa Eid Naser (Bhr) 48.53
(11.73, 11.39 [23.12], 12.11 [35.23], 13.30) (23.12/25.41);
3. Natalia Kaczmarek (Pol) 48.98
(12.09, 11.13 [23.22], 12.44 [35.66], 13.32) (23.22/25.76);
4. Rhasidat Adeleke (Ire) 49.28
(12.01, 11.28 [23.29], 12.22 [35.51], 13.77) (23.29/25.99);
5. Amber Anning (GB) 49.29 NR
(11.95, 11.44 [23.39], 12.58 [35.97], 13.32) (23.39/25.90);
6. Alexis Holmes (US) 49.77 PR
(11.96, 11.51 [23.47], 12.58 [36.05], 13.72) (23.47/26.30);
7. Sada Williams (Bar) 49.83
(12.28, 11.18 [23.46], 12.31 [35.77], 14.06) (23.46/26.37);
8. Henriette Jæger (Nor) 49.96
(12.04, 11.43 [23.47], 12.59 [36.06], 13.90) (23.47/26.49).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 3, =4, 5, =6, 7–8)
(lanes: 2. Williams; 3. Jæger; 4. Adeleke; 5. Anning; 6. Paulino; 7. Kaczmarek; 8. Naser; 9. Holmes)
(reaction times: 0.142 Jæger, 0.147 Holmes, 0.153 Adeleke, 0.165 Naser, 0.176 Kaczmarek & Williams, 0.185 Anning, 0.187 Paulino)
HEATS (August 05)
I–1. Naser 49.91; 2. Stacey-Ann Williams (Jam) 50.16; 3. Andrea Miklos (Rom) 50.54 PR; 4. Gabby Scott (PR) 50.74 NR; 5. Kendall Ellis (US) 51.16; 6. Sophie Becker (Ire) 51.84; 7. Tereza Petržilková (CzR) 51.92; 8. Modesta Morauskaitė (Lit) 52.00.
II–1. Nickisha Pryce (Jam) 50.02; 2. Laviai Nielsen (GB) 50.36; 3. Jæger 50.39; 4. Justyna Święty-Ersetic (Pol) 50.95; 5. Ellie Beer (Aus) 51.47 PR; 6. Lina Licona (Col) 51.85; 7. Zoe Sherar (Can) 51.97.
III–1. Anning 49.68; 2. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 49.96; 3. Paola Morán (Mex) 51.04; 4. Martina Weil (Chl) 51.15; 5. Alice Mangione (Ita) 51.60; 6. Ella Onojuvwevwo (Ngr) 51.65; 7. Tiffani Marinho (Bra) 52.62; 8. Cátia Azevedo (Por) 52.73.
IV–1. Kaczmarek 49.98; 2. Roxana Gómez (Cub) 50.38; 3. Williams 50.45; 4. Victoria Ohuruogu (GB) 50.93; 5. Gunta Vaičule (Lat) 51.13; 6. Helena Ponette (Bel) 51.75; 7. Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bah) 2:22.29;… dq—Esther Joseph (Ngr).
V–1. Paulino 49.42; 2. Aaliyah Butler (US) 50.52; 3. Susanne Gogl-Walli (Aut) 50.67 PR; 4. Sharlene Mawdsley (Ire) 50.71 PR; 5. Aliyah Abrams (Guy) 51.55; 6. Lurdes Gloria Manuel (CzR) 52.20; 7. Pahal Kiran (Ind) 52.51; 8. Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo (Bel) 52.77.
VI–1. Adeleke 50.09; 2. Holmes 50.35; 3. Junelle Bromfield (Jam) 51.36; 4. Miranda Coetzee (SA) 51.58; 5. Lada Vondrová (CzR) 51.80; 6. Lauren Gale (Can) 53.13; 7. Evelyn Aguilar (Col) 53.36;… dq—Nicole Caicedo (Ecu).
REPECHAGE (August 06)
I–1. Onojuvwevwo 50.59; 2. Święty-Ersetic 50.89; 3. Mawdsley 51.18; 4. Petržilková 51.46; 5. Abrams 51.84; 6. Kiran 52.59.
II–1. Scott 50.52 NR; 2. Coetzee 50.66 PR; 3. Manuel 50.81; 4. Morauskaitė 51.33; 5. Ponette 51.46 PR; 6. Weil 51.79; 7. Miller-Uibo 53.50.
III–1. Ohuruogu 50.59; 2. Vaičule 50.93; 3. Mangione 51.07 PR; 4. Beer 51.65; 5. Azevedo 52.04; 6. Gale 52.68; 7. Aguilar 52.86.
IV–1. Ellis 50.44; 2. Becker 51.28; 3. Sherar 51.43; 4. Licona 51.90; 5. Vondrová 52.15; 6. Marinho 52.32;… dnc—Bolingo Mbongo (Bel).
SEMIS (August 07)
I–1. Naser 49.08 (fastest-ever semi time); 2. Adeleke 49.95; 3. Jæger 50.17; 4. Klaver 50.44; 5. Ohuruogu 51.14; 6. Butler 51.18; 7. Scott 51.22; 8. Bromfield 51.93.
II–1. Paulino 49.21; 2. Holmes 50.00; 3. Nielsen 50.69; 4. Pryce 50.77; 5. Miklos 50.78; 6. Onojuvwevwo 51.05; 7. Gogl-Walli 51.17; 8. Manuel 51.42.
III–1. Kaczmarek 49.45; 2. Anning 49.47 PR; 3. Williams 49.89; 4. Ellis 50.40; 5. Gómez 50.48; 6. Morán 50.73; 7. Williams 50.79; 8. Coetzee 51.60.
