Yep, and if someone can beat you decisively at your specialty event after only one year of seriously trying it then that just means they were the superior athlete all along.
At least Paulino can still retire with her charity gold from Paris last year. How kind of Sydney to give her that at least.
Sydney wasn't ready to defeat Paulino last year. She devoted all of 2023 to 400 flat and didn't run nearly as fast as she expected or Kersee expected. That's why she retreated to the safe harbor of 400 hurdles for Paris.
Sydney herself said that wasn't the goal. She wrote in her book that the plan was never to run 400 hurdles again after 2022.
Fast forward to 2025 and she knows Paulino will be 31 in Los Angeles. This was perfect timing to switch to 400 flat, even if it carried considerable risk this year.
Regardless, I think Paulino's summary was perfectly understandable. Sydney is not going to be popular on the circuit when she pulls stunts like trying to barge into the Diamond League final at 200 and 400 last year despite not competing in one Diamond League meet all year and never injured. There was backlash against it and Brussels had to change course within 24 hours.
Sydney since Tokyo 2021 has chosen admired over beloved.
Wasn't ready to defeat her? 48.74 is faster than 48.76, right? The women's 400m world lead for 2023 (when as you note she ran the 400 before she got injured) was 48.74 seconds, set by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States on July 8, 2023. Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the gold medal in the women's 400m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a time of 48.76 seconds.
Why is this thread still going? If you want to talk about the women's 400m, the big story isn't assuming what Paulino did or did not mean by her comments, but rather how Sydney went from struggling to dip under 49 secs, missing the US Record again, looking exhausted at the end, to then 6 weeks later jogging a 48.2 and then just 48 hrs later smashing out a 47.7. She was a totally different athlete in just 6 weeks. How?
E bloody P friggin O. That's how. Kersee got her the Q at the US Trials, then shut her away for 6 weeks, just the right time for things to kick in, coz the real effects of it are felt after 4 weeks.
It's hilarious that someone who was clearly fighting in the last 50m at the Trials, in great conditions, can run so much faster in that part of the race 6 weeks later, in awful conditions, after running the first 200 half a second faster as well, and no one thinks this is unusual.
After the race she is hardly breathing compared to her peers, even the doped-up Naser is breathing more heavily. Some of the women are on the floor, like Jaeger. Paulino is still bent over, chest heaving, when Sydney goes over and does the usual, patronising "good job", barely breaking sweat.
That isn't talent. That is talent plus a top-notch doping programme that includes EPO.
Great take. Although you can bet with Kersee running the show, a lot more than EPO was used. You and the earlier poster are right that Kersee hid Syd for a few eeks so things would really kick in.
Yes and Paulino's juiced to the gills too, so it's a wash. Amazing how people are piling on Syd for obvious pharmaceutical assistance when it's guaranteed, and in Nasar's cause proven, that two and three on the medal rostrum are playing the same game.
Paulino running a massive at 29 and Nasar back to her drug- bust best six years later... Take away the chemicals for everyone and the result would probably be the same, albeit slower.
Yes and Paulino's juiced to the gills too, so it's a wash. Amazing how people are piling on Syd for obvious pharmaceutical assistance when it's guaranteed, and in Nasar's cause proven, that two and three on the medal rostrum are playing the same game.
Paulino running a massive at 29 and Nasar back to her drug- bust best six years later... Take away the chemicals for everyone and the result would probably be the same, albeit slower.
Yeah,probably close to 50 seconds flat,or so. Theyre all still talented,and dedicated,drugs or not,and sydney would probably win.
Brilliant PR strategy from Paulino. As a world champ contender from a non US country she will never be big unless she is the villain to an American. She goes out of her way to make an specific dig at Syd. She will likely lean into this more as we approach LA.
Paulino will be 29 next month. Syd just turned 26 last month. Plus Syd is more talented. Paulino will never see a global gold again. That’s why she’s being nasty.
Exactly. Its difficult when you realize there is someone who is simply better than you are.