Lani Pallister Shines at Pan Pacific Championships

Australian swimmer Lani Pallister achieved a significant milestone at the Pan Pacific Championships by defeating Katie Ledecky in the 800m freestyle. This victory marked the end of Ledecky’s streak of 13 gold medals at international championships, a reign dating back to 2012.

Pallister clocked a time of 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds, outpacing Ledecky by 1.16 seconds in Irvine, California. From the start, Pallister took the lead and maintained her position throughout the race. Ledecky made a strong push towards the end, outsplitting Pallister by seven-tenths between the 700 and 750 meters and narrowing the gap to 94 hundredths.

Ledecky acknowledged her performance, stating, “It was my best swim of the meet.” She added, “If I was going to get second tonight, I wanted to make it a good one.”

Pallister, a 24-year-old athlete, admitted feeling the most nervous she had ever been before the race. Her journey to this successful moment was built over time, having previously secured silver behind Ledecky at the 2025 World Championships by 36 hundredths in the closest 800m race of Ledecky’s career. During the Pan Pacific Championships, Pallister narrowly followed Ledecky by 2.53 seconds in the 1500m freestyle, marking the closest anyone had come to Ledecky in a championship 1500m race in 13 years before her victory in the 400m freestyle.

Ledecky, known for her 800m freestyle dominance, began her streak with a win at the 2012 Olympics at age 15, securing three subsequent Olympic golds, seven world titles, and two Pan Pacific titles. Pallister expressed admiration for Ledecky during an NBC Sports broadcast, stating that the legacy Ledecky created propelled women’s distance swimming to new heights.

Pallister’s victory against Ledecky adds to an elite list, as Ledecky faced defeat in an 800m freestyle only once in the past 16 years, against Canadian Summer McIntosh at a February 2024 meet in Florida.

As the Olympics approach in 2028, the women’s 800m freestyle will be a headline event, with Ledecky aiming to become the second athlete to secure five consecutive golds in the same individual Olympic event, following Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez. Ledecky shared her excitement for the future, noting the importance of the next two years for improvement.

Pan Pacific Championships Highlights

The Pan Pacific Championships showcased additional noteworthy performances. Kate Douglass broke the 50m freestyle world record during both the prelims and finals. She also contributed to the U.S. women’s 4x100m medley relay gold victory and secured silver in the 200m breaststroke.

Gretchen Walsh set a record with the fastest butterfly split ever in the medley relay, timing at 54.78 seconds. Meanwhile, China’s Yu Yiting emerged as a prominent competitor, defeating Olympic champion and world record holder Summer McIntosh in the 200m individual medley by two hundredths.

McIntosh, experiencing challenges at this meet, concluded with one win (400m individual medley) out of four individual events. Her coach, Bob Bowman, noted the challenges of training McIntosh, highlighting this as their first taper meet.

Yu Yiting’s impressive time of 2:07.45 in the 200m individual medley earned her a championship record and kept McIntosh from securing gold. The U.S.’s Alex Walsh finished third and won her first career Pan Pacific Championships medal.

Australian Sam Short dominated the men’s freestyle events, completing a sweep in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m at the Pan Pacific Championships. He matched his success at the Commonwealth Games in late July, a feat last accomplished by China’s Sun Yang at the 2013 World Championships.