Marileidy Paulino

[Wiederganger]

I was going to post this under the Ones to Watch thread, but decided she deserves her own.

Now, I pride myself on being pretty knowledgeable about the sport, but must say, she has snuck under the radar for me a bit. Marileidy Paulino, the Dominican sprinter, better 'known' (or not so much, in my case) as a 200m runner - she made the SF in Doha - switched to 400m this year. And boy, has she been doing well: she entered the season with a PB of 51.88 from 2020 - her only race that year - after a previous best of 56.30 from 2017. But in her very first race on 2021 she ran 50.31 (!).

Her season so far:

• 50.31 (PB)
• 50.36 - before the World Relays (where I do remember watching her great leg in the mixed relay, but again, didn't really look into her....I was too busy looking at the NED athletes)
• 23.10 (200m)
• 50.80
• 50.71
• 51.30 - her only race outside 51 sec
• 50.25 (PB)

She's on fire in her new event, very impressive. Now, 7 races already, as well as the World Relays, is pretty heavy going, but she seems used to this - she had a crazy number of races in 2019. However, I do think she is running WAY too much, and it remains to be seen how much she progresses and whether she can challenge in Tokyo. But in her first full year as a 400m runner, this woman is a real talent and threat.

She runs today (Tuesday) in Montreuil, against Lieke Klaver and Cynthia Bolingo. She will fancy the win - although Klaver's 52.03 in Gateshead suggests sub 51 in good conditions. But Paulino is in top form. I'm excited to see how she does the rest of the season.

[ZazaShoya]

Actually the same for me. I fell across her updated eye-catching PB before the World Relays as I checked the rosters for the mixed 4x4, and she did get my full attention then.
She clearly has a shot for the podium in Tokyo.

[Atticus]

She clearly has a shot for the podium in Tokyo.

Is there any event so up in the air as the w400?
Naser? Namibians? Felix? SMU?! Even some 400Hers like Bol and Little and McLaughlin could be in the mix, if they chose that event.

[Wiederganger]

Actually the same for me. I fell across her updated eye-catching PB before the World Relays as I checked the rosters for the mixed 4x4, and she did get my full attention then.
She clearly has a shot for the podium in Tokyo.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one!
I think her downfall could be her racing schedule, but we'll see. See has been super consistent under 51!

[Wiederganger]

Is there any event so up in the air as the w400?
Naser? Namibians? Felix? SMU?! Even some 400Hers like Bol and Little and McLaughlin could be in the mix, if they chose that event.

Agree, at the moment there is no obvious favourite. Unless Naser is definitely cleared to run, in which case she has to start as favourite regardless, it really is up in the air (assuming no SMU).

Meuwly has categorically stated that Bol will not run the flat, but I get your point.

[booond]

Is there any event so up in the air as the w400?
Naser? Namibians? Felix? SMU?! Even some 400Hers like Bol and Little and McLaughlin could be in the mix, if they chose that event.

Don't sleep on AMU

[Wiederganger]

Paulino won in Montreuil in 50.66, yet another sub 51, just ahead of Bolingo who ran a great NR of 50.75. Klaver was third in 51.71, she went out way too fast again.

[Powell]

Don't sleep on AMU

Mu is a huge talent, no doubt about it. I just wonder whether she can maintain her form this year until the OG. She's been competing all year, without even taking a significant break between the indoor and outdoor season.

[gh]

Mu is a huge talent, no doubt about it. I just wonder whether she can maintain her form this year until the OG. She's been competing all year, without even taking a significant break between the indoor and outdoor season.

maybe her regimen isn't as heavy as it looks on the surface, with heats and relay legs accounting for so much of her load. Her last indoor 400 was 3/13, first outdoor one 5/14; in the 800, 2/27 and 4/17

[Powell]

maybe her regimen isn't as heavy as it looks on the surface, with heats and relay legs accounting for so much of her load. Her last indoor 400 was 3/13, first outdoor one 5/14; in the 800, 2/27 and 4/17

Even if you disregard the relays (and I'm not sure why you would), it was only 5 weeks between her last indoor race and the first outdoor one.

[Wiederganger]

So far outdoors, Mu has run four 400's, one 800, one 1500 and six 400 relay legs. That's 12 races, half were run before the start of May, and the other six in May. In my view, that's a lot of races outdoors already, especially when you consider she ran 12 races indoors. 24 races before the month of June is a lot. However, I guess they were all in the US, so no crazy traveling across multiple time zones and at that age you bounce back much quicker after competition.

But I tend to agree with Powell, and I think if she does the Olympic Trials and makes the team, she will likely be past her peak by the time it gets to Tokyo.

[Atticus]

I think if she does the Olympic Trials and makes the team, she will likely be past her peak by the time it gets to Tokyo.

Or, equally likely, she'll just keep getting better. Wariner had a long college season and then PRed to win his Oly Gold.

[gm]

So far outdoors, Mu has run four 400's, one 800, one 1500 and six 400 relay legs. That's 12 races, half were run before the start of May, and the other six in May. In my view, that's a lot of races outdoors already, especially when you consider she ran 12 races indoors. 24 races before the month of June is a lot. However, I guess they were all in the US, so no crazy traveling across multiple time zones and at that age you bounce back much quicker after competition.

But I tend to agree with Powell, and I think if she does the Olympic Trials and makes the team, she will likely be past her peak by the time it gets to Tokyo.

Six of her meets were on her home tracks. Her travel was really minimal across the board this year. At five of those meets she only ran a 4x400 leg.

Athletes need to race to prepare. It's part of training. Every athlete is different.

[Wiederganger]

Six of her meets were on her home tracks. Her travel was really minimal across the board this year. At five of those meets she only ran a 4x400 leg.

Athletes need to race to prepare. It's part of training. Every athlete is different.

Like Powell, I'm not sure why running a 400m relay leg is any less significant then a 400m individual? I guess there may be, in some ways, less emotional stress, but on the other hand, more pressure.

I agree every athlete is different, and I think at a young age, athletes can cope much more with lots of races. I just think she cannot keep this level of racing up and be her best in 2 months. Happy to be proven wrong though!

[Wiederganger]

Or, equally likely, she'll just keep getting better. Wariner had a long college season and then PRed to win his Oly Gold.

See, I don't think that's equally likely. I see that as less likely, but possible.

Note Wariner had 8 outdoor races by this time of year, compared to Mu's 12. He also had 10 indoor races, compared to her 12 (and his were all one distance). So already she has had 6 more races than he had at this point. By the end of the year, he also had only 3 races that were not 400m (3 x 200m outdoors) whereas she is racing over 400 & 800m, with the odd other distance thrown in. I don't know how significant that is, if at all, but her total distance run is greater, as well as her number of competitions.

I'd love to see her not compete now until the US Olympic Trials, qualify, and then take a break from racing, and come out next month and do a couple of meets. But she wont!