Douglass breaks 50m freestyle swimming world record, Ledecky loses 800m

Australian swimmer Lani Pallister dealt US great Katie Ledecky her first 800 metres freestyle defeat in a major international meet, beating her one-time idol at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, on Saturday.

Pallister led wire-to-wire en route to victory in 8 minutes, 6.1 seconds, and Ledecky’s desperate late charge was not enough as she finished second in 8:07.26.

It was a stunning result on the final day of Pan Pacs action that saw American Kate Douglass break the 50m freestyle world record twice on the way to gold and earn 200m breaststroke silver and medley relay gold as well.

Ledecky has dominated the 800m since she won Olympic gold in 2012 as a 15-year-old, winning 13 international golds since then. That includes four Olympic gold medals and seven world titles in the event.

Canadian Summer McIntosh beat Ledecky in the 800m free at a minor domestic meeting in Florida in February 2024. But world record-holder Ledecky maintained her hold on the event with a razor-thin victory over Pallister and McIntosh in a World Championships thriller last year in Singapore, where Ledecky said her rule as younger swimmers began closing in was “I don’t lose 800s”.

Pallister, who claimed her first career win over Ledecky in the 400m free earlier this week before finishing second behind her in the 1,500m, showed that rule can be broken as the 29-year-old American looks to add to her collection of nine Olympic gold medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Australian punched the water in delight and got a hug across the lane rope from Ledecky.

“Katie is such a dominant force,” said Pallister, who finished the week with gold in the 200m, 400m and 800m free and the 4x200m free relay.