Marileidy Paulino sends a message to McLaughlin-Levrone: “I only ask that she runs all year, like I do.”

TOKYO.– Dominican sprinter Marileidy Paulino won the silver medal this Thursday in the 400 meters of the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, in one of the most spectacular finals in recent history, and took the opportunity to send a message to her great rival, American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

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“I just ask that it be run all year, like I do. I’ve been competing for five consecutive years without stopping and I always do it with passion”, Paulino expressed after the race in which he recorded 47.98 seconds, the third-best time of all time.

The gold went to McLaughlin-Levrone, who stopped the clock at 47.78, a record that places her with the second-best historical mark, only behind the world record of the German Marita Koch (47.60 in 1985). Both runners went under 48 seconds, something that hadn’t happened in four decades.

Paulino, the current Olympic champion, stated that she will continue working to break the world record: “Today was something exceptional. I’ve already entered the 47s and I have faith that one day I will achieve that world record“. The Dominican also pointed out that the location on 9th street of the track affected her during the test: “The upper lane is blind, I think I would have done better in another one. But I gave my best and I thank God for everything.” Beyond the result, Paulino highlighted feeling proud to serve as an example to the youth of her country: “I am very happy to be able to help the sport and to inspire young Dominicans to take better paths“.