SANTO DOMINGO.– The authorities of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 are investigating the throwing of two bottles onto the track of the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium during the women’s 400-meter final, an event in which the Dominican Marileidy Paulino won the gold medal with a Games record.
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The incident occurred when Paulino and the other competitors were approaching the finish line at maximum speed, amidst intense rain. The objects fell onto the track and one of them impacted behind the Cuban Roxana Gómez, who was in second place in the race.
According to a source linked to the event’s organization, the incident is under investigation and the security team is reviewing surveillance cameras to identify the person responsible.
The throwing of the objects posed a risk to the physical integrity of the athletes, as it could have caused a fall or altered the development of the competition in one of the fastest events in the athletics program.
Despite the incident, Marileidy Paulino completed a historic performance by winning the gold medal with a time of 48.94 seconds, setting a new Games record and surpassing the mark of 49.95 that she herself had set in San Salvador 2023.
Cuban Roxana Gómez won the silver medal with 49.99 seconds, while Shafiqua Maloney, from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, took the bronze after recording 51.77.
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The authorities have not reported if any person has been identified or detained for the incident, while investigations continue to clarify what happened during one of the most anticipated competitions of the Games.
Paulino celebrated her victory wrapped in the Dominican flag together with the crowd that remained in the stands despite the rain, closing a memorable night for national athletics, although marked by an incident that put the safety of the competitors at risk.
