Olympic 400m champion Marileidy Paulino (DOM) will open her Wanda Diamond League campaign at the Mazzraty Doha Meeting at the Qatar Sports Club on Friday 19 June.
The 29-year-old – the first woman from the Dominican Republic to win gold in any sport at the Olympic Games – set an Olympic record of 48.17 in Paris 2024 and led the top three to times inside 49 seconds for the first time in a women’s 400m.
The former world champion ran a Dominican record of 47.98 for silver at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. It was the third-quickest time in history and the first time that two women (Paulino and winner Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone) had dipped under 48 seconds in the same race.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Doha where the crowd noise is incredible and the conditions are great for fast running,” said the three-time Diamond League Final winner who has won on both her previous outings to the Qatar Sports Club in 2022 (51.20) and 2023 (50.51).
“My winter training has gone well and although the meeting record of 49.83 might be a tough one to beat so early in the season, every race is a challenge and an opportunity to grow. I’m proud to be an Olympic and world champion, but it’s important that I continue to learn and work hard every day to become an even better version of myself so that I can help inspire and motivate the younger generation.”
The Mazzraty Doha Meeting is the seventh meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League. The series comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four different continents and began in Shanghai/Keqiao on 16 May (as a result of the Doha Meeting being rescheduled). It concludes with a single final across two days in Brussels (4-5 September).