By: Alejandro Santos
The true value of Marileidy Paulino’s achievement has nothing to do with the material goods that may now be offered or donated to her. The immeasurable value lies in her example for the youth of the Dominican Republic and the world. Her career also has no monetary value; it cannot be compared to the million-dollar contracts of professional baseball players. She transcends momentary showbiz whims. Her true and fair value lies in her consecration and in the journey she had to go through to reach the gold medal in the 400 meters at the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
We all know that Marileidy Paulino comes from a family with limited resources. She has had to overcome the adversities that come with being an athlete in a country that does not support talented young people to develop. Paulino, with her own effort, stands out as the architect of her own successes.
Training for around 7 hours in two sessions a day cannot be a matter of improvisation or chance. The position that Paulino has achieved, by becoming the champion athlete in all 400-meter competitions in two years, is a testament to her dedication.
For Marileidy, winning this gold medal has been the result of a long journey. Paulino was filled with determination and courage, managing to overcome all the obstacles that hindered her in the preparation of her career. Thus, today we all recognize her as an example of perseverance and overcoming for Dominican society and the world.
It may seem, to some naive people, like something very simple and easy to run 400 meters. Running them slowly may be easy, but going through the training to do it in a time of 48.17 requires dedication body and soul, giving everything in every step and exhausting every last drop of energy in each race.
A clear message must be sent to the Dominican government and society: let us devote more attention and more resources to supporting young people in the development of their talents and abilities. Let us support and accompany the process and the career. It is not enough to come out at the end in a caravan of jubilant people; that does not grant merit. When indifference and abandonment have been the norm, self-criticism remains; we have time to remember that our athletes are there training; our young athletes, like Marileidy Paulino, do not exist only when they bring medals to the country.
