#5 Seed Lani Pallister Withdraws from the 1500 Heats, Tests Positive for COVID-19

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

The #5 seed in the Women’s 1500, Lani Pallister, showed heat 3 of the event prelims this morning. The Australian reportedly has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating in the Olympic village.


Reportedly Pallister was on deck this morning to warm-up for the 1500, where she was a medal contender, but opted to withdraw from the race and subsequently test positive.

Pallister is not the only swimmer to have contracted COVID. The morning after Adam Peaty won the silver in the Men’s 100 breaststroke, the British star tested positive for COVID.  In their release, Team GB stated,

Adam Peaty began feeling unwell on Sunday, ahead of his Men’s 100 breaststroke final. In the hours after the final, his symptoms became worse, and he was tested for COVID early on Monday morning. He tested positive at that point,”

This is not the first case of COVID for Australian Athletes in the village at the Paris Games as  had five members of their women’s water polo team tested positive last week, before the Games commenced.

Like Peaty, Pallister and the Australian team are hoping for a swift recovery and cessation of symptoms so that Pallister can participate in the Aussies’ 4×200 free relay. Before the start of the Olympics, Pallister had withdrawn from the 400 free to concentrate on the relay and these longer races.

This is not the first time that Pallister has been effected by COVID at a major international meet. In 2022 at Worlds in Budapest, the Australian has to withdraw from the finals of the 800 free, where she was the #2 seed.

If we hear more or if SwimAustralia releases a statement, we will update the article.

In This Story

23
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

23 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
GoBulls
1 minute ago

If you put all that effort into training for the Olympics why not just mask up to lower your chances of catching something?

Breezeway
9 minutes ago

Distributing all those prophylactics gave people a false sense of security

Kristiina
1 hour ago

I got several post traumatic stress caused covid restrictions. I hate elderly covid terrorists, masks. Covid is over and now regular cold illness. You can not race but no danger. Elderly must stay home and vaccination. I have long covid 6 month but I not healthly and I want ban mask mandates. Now is my long covid is nearly over. I am unvaccinated in 30s but not healthly. Athletes not get long covid now.

Kristiina
1 hour ago

Please not speak covid. Please speak illness just like before 2019

Swimfan88
2 hours ago

Can she even compete on Thursday? Isn’t protocol isolating for 5 days?

Willswim
2 hours ago

Hypothetically, what would happen if a relay only swimmer tested positive for Covid and had to withdraw before their swim? Isn’t there a rule that relay only swimmers have to swim at some point or else the entire relay is DQ’d?

MDE
Reply to  Willswim
2 hours ago

I’d imagine that a medical withdrawal would be accepted on a case by case basis.

Barty’s Bakery
Reply to  Willswim
1 hour ago

There’s an exemption for medical reasons. Obviously Covid would exempt you

The Real AJC
Reply to  Willswim
1 hour ago

Hopefully she can still swim the 800 if not the relay.

Last edited 1 hour ago by The Real AJC
David Kellam
2 hours ago

A shame she dropped the 400 in hindsight too. Let’s hope she recovers for the 4×2. If not, will they swim Arnie/Mollie or risk putting Olivia (1:57.84 at Trials) or Meg (1:56.93 at Trials and 1:56.29 in 2021) in the Heats?

Last edited 2 hours ago by David Kellam
Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  David Kellam
2 hours ago

harris is the better option, faster pb and had a good 100 split

Swammer
2 hours ago

Noooooo. Oh my heart just broke.