Marileidy Paulino in Budapest (© Getty Images)
Semifinals: Friday 11 Sep, 19:38
Final: Saturday 12 Sep, 18:08
Contenders:
Marileidy Paulino (DOM) 🏅💎
Henriette Jæger (NOR)
Natalia Bukowiecka (POL)
Nickisha Pryce (JAM)
Salwa Eid Naser (BRN)
Lurdes Gloria Manuel (CZE)
Aaliyah Butler (USA)
Roxana Gómez (CUB)
Stacey Ann Williams (JAM)
Lieke Klaver (NED)
Yemi Mary John (GBR)
Ella Onojuvwevwo (NGR)
Sharlene Mawdsley (IRL)
Martina Weil (CHI)
Mercy Oketch (KEN)
Alexis Holmes (USA)
World lead: 48.48 Marileidy Paulino (DOM) Paris, 28 Jun
2026 world list | world rankings
World record: 47.60 Marita Koch (GDR) Canberra, 6 Oct 1985
world all-time list | world record progression
- Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino leads the world this year with her Diamond League record of 48.48
- The Dominican returns to the scene of her first individual world title and arrives fresh from winning her fourth Diamond League crown
- Twelve of the 16 women in the field have broken 50 seconds this year, headed by Paulino and 48.84 performer Aaliyah Butler
Marileidy Paulino has been at the top of the women's 400m for the past few seasons and has shown little sign of relinquishing her position as the world No.1 in 2026.
It was in Budapest three years ago that she shook off the bridesmaid tag, having previously won Olympic silver in 2021 and world silver in 2022, to claim her first individual world title.
She went on to become Olympic champion in Paris the following year before finishing second to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the World Championships in Tokyo last year. Her 47.98 there moved her to third on the world all-time list.
Paulino has once again set the benchmark in 2026. Her 48.48 victory in Paris in June took 0.09 off the Diamond League record and she has gone unbeaten throughout her Diamond League campaign.
She capped that run in Brussels last weekend, clocking a meeting record of 48.64 to secure her fourth Diamond League title in five years and her first since 2024.
Aaliyah Butler is the fastest of her Budapest rivals this season. The US champion ran a lifetime best of 48.84 when finishing second to Paulino in Monaco in July, making her the only other woman in the Ultimate field to have broken 49 seconds this year.
Henriette Jæger has also enjoyed a breakthrough campaign. The Norwegian lowered her national record to 49.04 to win the European title in Birmingham last month and was Paulino's closest challenger at the Diamond League Final.
The pedigree runs deep. Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion and Olympic silver medallist, has a lifetime best of 48.14 and has run 49.27 this season. Nickisha Pryce has matched that 49.27 mark, while world indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel improved to 49.37 when finishing second to Paulino in Paris.
Ella Onojuvwevwo and Stacey Ann Williams have also broken 49.50 this year, while European silver and bronze medallists Natalia Bukowiecka and Lieke Klaver add further major championship experience.
With 12 of the 16 entrants having broken 50 seconds during 2026, simply reaching the final will demand something close to each athlete's best. But if Paulino carries her season-long form back to the stadium where she first became world champion, she remains the woman they all have to beat.
Matt Majendie for World Athletics
Title key: 🏅 Olympic champion, 🌍 world champion, 💎 Diamond League champion
