Lani Pallister Upsets Katie Ledecky to Capture 400m Freestyle at Pan Pacs

At the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Lani Pallister of Australia secured the women's 400-meter freestyle title with a 3:58.42 finish, leaving Katie Ledecky of the United States in second place at 4:00.15. The event was missing world-record holder Summer McIntosh, who did not advance past the preliminaries. New Zealand's Erika Fairweather completed the podium in third.

Pallister, now 24, has been collecting medals across freestyle distances and cites Ledecky as her inspiration. Ledecky, 29, acknowledged the disappointment of posting a time over four minutes but praised the depth of global competition. The result highlights Pallister's growing status as a top contender heading into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.