Marileidy Paulino Caps Perfect Season with Ultimate 400m Title in Budapest
Dominican Republic’s Olympic champion adds global crown to flawless 2026 campaign
Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino extended her grip on the one-lap event by storming to victory in the women’s 400m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. The win stretched an already commanding winning streak and cemented a season that the Dominican Republic star can rightly call perfect.
Paulino, the reigning Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, delivered a masterclass in speed and control over the flat 400 metres, leaving her rivals trailing on the blue track of the Hungarian capital. The performance at the global championship – part of World Athletics’ marquee end-of-season event – underscored why she is widely regarded as the premier one-lap specialist of her generation.
The victory in Budapest extends a sequence of wins that has seen Paulino go undefeated throughout the 2026 campaign. While official times and margins were not immediately detailed in post-race reporting, the manner of her triumph confirmed the same unassailable form that carried her through a dominant Olympic season and into a 2026 year where she has set the standard from start to finish.
Budapest, which previously hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2023, provided a fitting stage for Paulino’s latest conquest. The city’s stadium has become a theatre for her brilliance – she first announced herself as a global force there with a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships before upgrading to gold at the Olympics the following year.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship gathers many of the sport’s elite for a high-stakes finale, and Paulino’s performance leaves no doubt about her current ranking among the world’s best quarter-milers. With the win, she successfully converted her season-long dominance into a global title, reinforcing her status as the undisputed leader of the event heading into the winter break.
For a complete report and official results, visit the World Athletics event page.
