Gabriel Moronta competed without pressure in the 400m on 5 August 2026. His name had not been in the news as a gold medal contender. All the focus was on the women’s race that early evening, with the much expected performance of Marileidy Paulino, the Paris Olympics gold medal record holder in the 400m.And then he became the big surprise of the Games when he won the gold in the 400m men’s event.Moronta crossed the finish line with a time of 44.70 seconds, making him the only competitor in the field to break the 45-second barrier. Luis Aviles of Mexico claimed the silver medal with a time of 45.06 seconds, while Venezuela’s Javier Gómez took the bronze.The DR thus would clinch the gold medal in the 400m in both women and men events.Moronta trains at the Felix Sanchez Academy of the former Dominican two-time 400m hurdle Olympic gold medalist (Athens 2004, London 2012)...