IRVINE, Calif. — Katie Ledecky is, and forever will be, the greatest distance freestyler of all time. But she is no longer the greatest distance freestyler of the moment. That torched has been passed to—or snatched by—Australian Lani Pallister.
On a sobering night in SoCal, Pallister, 24, became the first woman in an international meet to beat Ledecky in the event that made her a star, the 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky’s reign began when she was a 15-year-old at the 2012 London Olympics and continued until Saturday, with 13 straight wins across the Olympics, World Championships and Pan Pacific Championships.
