400 metres, Women

Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the two-time defending gold medalist, was back a year and a half after giving birth, but injuries had hampered her all year. She started, but jogged through round one in 2:22.79, and could not advance out of the repêchage. Dominican Republic sprinter Marileidy Paulino, the 2020 silver medalist, was the favorite in her absence. She was the 2023 World Champion and the 2022 and 2023 Diamond League Champion, and looked to improve on her silver medal from this event at Tokyo 2020.

Paulino took the lead in the final on the backstretch and passed 200 metres in 22.81, making up the stagger on Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek. Paulino was never challenged, finishing in an Olympic record 48.17 to take gold, as Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 World Champion, took silver, followed by Kaczmarek.

Paulino’s 48.17 broke Marie-José Pérec’s 28 year old 48.25 Olympic record. Athletics experts consider these two times to be the two cleanest in the history of the women’s 400m. Paulino’s time moved her to #4 performer all-time and was the #6 performance, behind Marita Koch, Jarmila Kratochvílová and Salwa Eid Naser. It was her third Olympic medal in as many events, winning silvers in 2020 in both the 400 and the mixed 4x400 metre relay. It was also Kaczmarek’s third Olympic medal, after two at Tokyo – gold in the mixed 4x400 and silver in the women’s 4x400.