Katie Ledecky’s Dominance Continues at Pan Pacific Championships

Katie Ledecky maintained her dominance in the 1500m freestyle by extending her impressive 16-year win streak. In Irvine, California, she secured the title at the Pan Pacific Championships with a time of 15 minutes, 36.09 seconds. Ledecky was closely chased by Australian swimmer Lani Pallister, who was only 2.53 seconds behind, registering a time of 15:38.62. Pallister’s performance makes her the third-fastest woman in history for this event.

This competition marked Ledecky’s closest race in the 1500m freestyle at a major international meet, which includes the Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships, since she won her first major title at the 2013 World Championships at age 16. During that event, she finished 2.35 seconds ahead of Dane Lotte Friis.

Ledecky expressed excitement at participating in a major international meet taking place in a U.S. pool for the first time in her career. Despite not being entirely satisfied with her swim, she expressed joy in being part of such a competitive and spirited environment.

“Even with a swim I’m not super happy with, it’s just so much fun to be in this environment and get to experience this,” she said.

Ledecky’s legacy in swimming is further emphasized by her incredible achievement of owning the top 13 times in history, with her world record being 15:20.48. The second-fastest time belongs to Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella, with a record of 15:31.79.

Pallister’s competitive performance increases anticipation for the upcoming 800m freestyle on Saturday. At the 2025 World Championships, Pallister showed promise by nearly beating Ledecky in the event, finishing just 36 hundredths of a second behind her.

Continuing with the Pan Pacific Championships, preliminary heats are scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m. ET, with finals taking place at 10 p.m., available for live viewing on Peacock and NBCSN.

Record Breaking Medley Relay

Wednesday saw the U.S. team breaking the world record in the mixed-gender 4x100m medley relay. The team comprised Will Modglin (backstroke), Van Mathias (breaststroke), Gretchen Walsh (butterfly), and Kate Douglass (freestyle). Their remarkable timing of 3:36.70 surpassed the previous world record of 3:37.43, set by the U.S. at the 2024 Olympics.

Gretchen Walsh established herself as a powerhouse in the butterfly event. After winning the 50m butterfly in 24.65 seconds, she marked the fifth-fastest time in history, trailing Sarah Sjostrom’s world record by 22 hundredths of a second. Walsh is the second-fastest woman in the 50m butterfly, having previously achieved a time of 24.51 in June. Additionally, she holds the world records in the 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle events.

Walsh further lowered her Championship Record at the Pan Pacific Championships for the 50m butterfly with her 24.65 second performance, keeping nearly half a second ahead of fellow competitor Kate Douglass, who claimed silver.

Lani Pallister and Summer McIntosh Battle

Lani Pallister outpaced Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh in the women’s 200m freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships, setting a Championship Record time of 1:53.67, and finishing 0.19 seconds ahead of McIntosh.

McIntosh, known for her exceptional swimming accomplishments at the 2024 Olympics and 2025 World Championships, swam the 200m freestyle at a major international meet for the first time since the 2023 World Championships. She aims to win five individual golds at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she also holds the 400m freestyle and both 200m and 400m individual medley world records and titles, in addition to the 200m butterfly.

Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps attended the event, reminding spectators of his historical achievement of winning five individual golds at a single Olympics, part of a total eight gold medals won at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Additional Highlights from Pan Pacific Championships

Katharine Berkoff triumphed in the women’s 100m backstroke, finishing in 57.93 seconds. This victory marked her as the first American to defeat world record holder Regan Smith in this event at a major international meet since Kathleen Baker achieved it at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.

Another notable U.S. performance came from Berkoff and Regan Smith, who secured a one-two finish for the U.S. in the women’s 100m backstroke, with Smith finishing at 58.11 seconds.

Australian Sam Short captured victory against American swimmer Bobby Finke in the men’s 800m freestyle, completing the race 5.5 seconds ahead.

Luke Hobson and Gabriel Jett contributed to the success of the U.S. team with their one-two finish in the men’s 200m freestyle. Hobson emerged victorious at 1:43.85, claiming his first individual title in a major international long-course meet. Jett set a personal best of 1:43.96, making him the third-fastest American in history, right behind Michael Phelps (1:42.96) and Hobson (1:43.73).

Luca Urlando emerged as the champion in the men’s 200m butterfly with a time of 1:53.11, surpassing Michael Phelps’ previous meet record of 1:53.80, set in 2006.