Lani Pallister stuns Katie Ledecky in 800 freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Lani Pallister of Australia shocked Katie Ledecky together with her first worldwide loss within the 800-meter freestyle on the Pan Pacific Championships on Saturday night time.

Pallister was beneath world-record tempo for a lot of the race and touched in 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds to erase Ledecky’s championship document from 2018.

“I was just so locked in and I’ve been really focused on what I want,” Pallister mentioned. “The 800 is my favorite event.”

Ledecky took silver in a season-best 8:07.26.

“That was definitely my best swim of the week, so I’m actually pretty happy with it,” she mentioned. “If I was going to get second tonight, I wanted to make it a good one. Just wanted to make it hard for Lani.”

Ledecky is the four-time Olympic champion in her signature occasion. The American’s lone earlier defeat in an 800 free last since 2010 got here in a small home meet in February 2024 towards Summer McIntosh of Canada.

“Katie’s such a dominant force,” a breathless Pallister mentioned after the race.

Kate Douglass lowered her personal world document within the 50 free for the second time Saturday, profitable the ultimate in 23.19 — one in all three occasions on the ultimate night time.

“I was doubting myself, questioning my ability to do the triple,” she mentioned. “My coaches and my teammates just really had a lot of faith in me and they really gave me a lot of energy.”

In the morning preliminaries, the 24-year-old American swam 23.49 to take the mark away from teammate Gretchen Walsh, who completed second within the night last in 23.74.

Douglass returned 25 minutes later to complete second within the 200 breaststroke. She rallied from third down the stretch however couldn’t catch Alexanne Lepage of Canada, who led all the race and touched in a lifetime greatest of two:21.73. Douglass completed in 2:22.57.

“I feel like I’m just a little bit shocked,” Lepage mentioned.

Walsh had owned the 50 free document of 23.55 since setting it in June at a global meet in Rome.

It’s the third time Douglass has lowered the world mark within the dash race. She first did it on June 19 on the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, posting a time of 23.59. Nine days later, Walsh lowered it once more.

Fourteen minutes after climbing out of the pool, Douglass appeared on the medals podium in her cap and goggles to just accept her gold. The different medalists have been dressed of their common group sweats. Eleven minutes after that, Douglass dived in for the 200 breast last.

Douglass capped a busy night time by anchoring the U.S. ladies to a dominant victory within the 4 x 100 medley relay. Their time of three:50.43 was a championship document. Australia was second in 3:55.09.

Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist. She earned silver within the 50 free on the 2024 world championships however didn’t compete within the occasion on the 2024 Paris Games.

Her 50 free was the second particular person world document set on the meet that features swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and China, amongst others.

The U.S. males additionally topped Australia within the 4 x 100 medley relay. Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Luca Urlando and anchor Jack Alexy swam a championship-record time of three:29.06.

Sam Short of Australia received the 1,500 free to go along with his earlier titles within the 400 and 800 free occasions. His time of 14:33.97 was the sixth-fastest in historical past and broke Grant Hackett’s 24-year-old championship document.

“That was actually so much fun,” Short mentioned.

Kazushi Imafuku of Japan took silver in 14:42.59 and two-time defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke earned bronze in 14:44.26 on the identical day he misplaced his world document to Johannes Liebmann of Germany on the European championships.

The males’s 50 free was received by Jamie Jack of Australia in a championship document of 21.35. American Jack Alexy took silver in 21.42.

Yu Yiting of China defeated a robust discipline together with world record-holder McIntosh to win the 200 particular person medley.

Yu was beneath world-record tempo on the opening butterfly leg earlier than American Regan Smith took over the lead on the backstroke. Yu moved again in entrance on the breaststroke and held off McIntosh within the closing meters. Yu’s time of two:07.45 set a championship document within the outside pool in Irvine.

McIntosh, the Canadian star whose lone particular person victory of the week was within the 400 IM, took silver in 2:07.47. American Alex Walsh, the older sister of Gretchen Walsh, earned bronze in 2:07.66. Smith completed fourth.

McIntosh claimed silver within the 200 freestyle and bronze within the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. She surprisingly didn’t qualify for the 400 free championship last, however completed first within the ‘B’ last.

“It wasn’t a horrible swim, but getting touched out is something that is never a good thing to feel,” she mentioned. “Overall, the meet didn’t go the way I wanted it to, so there’ll definitely be a lot of reflection.”

Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia went from fourth to first within the 200 breast, profitable in 2:08.09. American Josh Matheny earned silver. Shin Ohashi, who led till the ultimate 15 meters, took bronze.

In the lads’s 200 IM, Tomoyuki Matushita of Japan received in 1:56.02 over American Carson Foster.

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