World champion in the distance and a two-time winner of the event in the Diamond League finals, Paulino is poised to be one of the standout figures on the track, where the spotlight will be on her.

"I've had good preparation to arrive at the Olympic Games in optimal condition," said the 27-year-old Caribbean athlete. She recalls running without shoes through the streets where she grew up, unable to afford them as a child.

Paulino was one of the Latin American stars at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she masterfully won silver medals in the 400 meters and the 4x400 relay.

"It's a big difference. I was a novice in Tokyo, just starting out, and now I have a lot more experience. I know what I'm going to do," said Paulino, who still finds it hard to believe she was 23 during the last Games, as "everything has changed so much."

And indeed, things have changed. Always talented, 2024 has been a breakout year for Marileidy Paulino, continuing the triumphs she ended 2023 with. The Dominican runner won the 400 meters at the Diamond League stops in Xiamen and Suzhou in April, and in Oslo on May 30.

Paulino reached her peak when she was crowned in that distance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, with her personal best: 48.76 seconds. This achievement marked the first gold medal for the island in an individual event of this type in decades, following the iconic Félix Sánchez.

Her sole focus at Paris 2024 will be winning the individual 400 meters, as she has decided to forgo the mixed 4x400 relay to concentrate on winning the medal on her own.

"At first, I didn't pay much attention to athletics. I started to take this sport seriously a year after I began practicing it," the Dominican athlete shared in an interview with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Her great aspiration now is to break the world record in the 400 meters, 47.60 seconds, held by Germany's Marita Koch for almost 40 years.