2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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It took a championship record to win tonight’s tightly-contested women’s 800m freestyle, with the United States’ Katie Ledecky‘s victory coming down to the touch.
Neck-and-neck with Australia’s Lani Pallister and Canada’s Summer McIntosh for most of the race, Ledecky ultimately got to the wall first, crushing a time of 8:05.62. That represents the 3rd-best time of the Olympic icon’s career.
Her performance eked out the win over Pallister who touched less than half a second later in 8:05.98 while McIntosh bagged the bronze in 8:07.29 to give us a trio of sub-8:10 swimmers.
As for 28-year-old Ledecky, she took down her own championship record of 8:07.39, a benchmark logged a decade ago at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
After Ledecky delivered a mind-boggling 8:04.79 to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, nobody neared that time for eight more years – Ledecky included.
Flash forward to 2025, and Ledecky suddenly rekindled the spark she had in 2016, breaking her own world record at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series in April (8:04.12). She showed the swim wasn’t a fluke by following it up with an 8:05.76 at U.S. Nationals.
Her performance tonight represents the 7th 800m freestyle world championships title of her storied and unmatched career.
Updated All-Time Top Performances, Women’s 800 LCM Freestyle:
- Katie Ledecky — 8:04.12 (2025)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:04.79 (2016)
- Summer McIntosh — 8:05.07 (2025)
- Katie Ledecky – 8:05.62 (2025) *2025 World Championships
- Katie Ledecky — 8:05.76 (2025)
- Lani Pallister – 8:05.98 (2025) *2025 World Championships
- Katie Ledecky — 8:06.68 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky –8:07.07 (2023)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:07.27 (2018)
- Summer McIntosh – 8:07.29 (2025) *2025 World Championships
- Katie Ledecky — 8:07.39 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:08.04 (2022)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:08.87 (2023)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:09.13 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:09.27 (2022)
- Summer McIntosh — 8:09.86 (2025)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:10.32 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:10.70 (2019)
- Lani Pallister — 8:10.84 (2025)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:10.91 (2016)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:11.00 (2014)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:11.04 (2024)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:11.08 (2018)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:11.21 (2015)
- Katie Ledecky — 8:11.35 (2014)
Pallister’s 8:05.98 is a huge lifetime best for the 23-year-old, hacking nearly 5 seconds off her previous PB of 8:10.84 put up just this past June at the Australian World Championship Trials.
Prior to that domestic performance, Pallister’s career-swiftest checked in at the 8:15.11 from the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
Pallister, the woman of whom, after the rac,e Ledecky said, “just wouldn’t go away,” entered tonight’s competition as the 3rd-fastest performer of all time and retains that position en route to lowering her own Aussie national and Oceanian records. Pallister’s time here, however, is now the 6th-best ever recorded.
Top 5 Women’s LCM 800 Free Performers All-Time
- Katie Ledecky (USA) – 8:04.12, 2025
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 8:05.07, 2025
- Lani Pallister (AUS) – 8:05.98, 2025
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 8:12.29, 2024
- Simona Quadarella (ITA) – 8:12.81, 2025
Also inserting herself into the all-time performers list was Simona Quadarella of Italy.
The 26-year-old already established a new European Record en route to earning bronze in the 1500m free and the Italian ace followed suit by breaking that same marker in this 800m free.
She placed 4th overall tonight, producing a stellar 8:12.81.
Quadarella hacked over a second off the old European standard of 8:14.10 Great Britain’s Olympic medalist Rebecca Adlington established in 2008.
Before these World Championships, Quadarella’s lifetime best sat at the 8:14.55 she registered to place 4th in the event at the 2024 Olympic Games. Her time this evening would have garnered her the bronze in that race.
Although she didn’t break a record, McIntosh’s swim tonight is also noteworthy as the 2nd-best time of her career.
If McIntosh wins Gold tomorrow, that will be the best female “individual” performance EVER, 4 Golds and 1 Bronze, no one has medal that many (with 4 golds) individual races in a competition ever, Championships and Olympics!
You missed one:
Women’s 800 meter freestyle
Katie Ledecky – 8:09.85
The aforementioned time is the 800 meter split in the final of the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
Do we think Summer added the 800 to her line up simply because it’s what the people wanted? Everyone wanted a show down with Ledecky. She has said a few times that she doesn’t like the 800 but she’s good at it so maybe she would grow to like it. I’m wondering if Summer is hoping that Lani can take over the challenge in this event and she can drop it.
Katie is the goat but who knew Lani would give it to her until the very end! Exciting stuff
McIntosh poor sportsmanship! What a crybaby! She needs to be held accountable for that. Ridiculous.
Yes! She should be forced to hand over her 3 golds to Ledecky for the audacity to be mad after a bad race for a total of 30 seconds! Probably should have to give up her olympic medals too.
You wouldn’t be saying this if it was Phelps
“bad race”??? Better watch the final 50 and her poor sportsmanship reaction afterwards again. Totally outclassed. This could have serious negative ramifications on her career. Heard it here first.
I’m curious as to what serious ramifications this may have. I think this is being overblown. She did not have the best moment after the race, but she certainly didn’t do anything nasty. Also went and congratulated Katie on her Instagram post as well.
Don’t mind him, he is just mad because he knows that McIntosh will be the GOAT soon, is not a matter of IF she can do it, is a matter of WHEN she will do it!
I hope it does. To be competitive and want to do better is one thing, to act like a spoiled brat and not even congratulate your opponents is totally classless and a poor example to my kids and a poor representation of swimming. Not to mention the f bombs from a few days ago. I have lost a lot of respect for her and will consider other brands from her endorsements if possible!
It doesn’t matter what SM does or does not do, the haters are real and will find anything to drag her name down.
It’s called jealousy.
Educate me…what did she do?…did not hug Katie? Cry like a baby after losing? Even Tori Huske sulked after the mixed relay.
I don’t think Tori was sulking. I think she felt physically broken down and devastated. She strikes me as a totally unselfish swimmer and teammate.
I watched the full race and didn’t see anything that was out of line? She wasn’t hugging anyone and just seemed disappointed is all (understandable). Phelps took some of his losses far worse; threw his swim cap after losing to Le Clos, for example.
Her attitude is juvenile and lacks class. How many pouty faces and F-Bombs have we ever seen from Ledecky, Franklin, Coughlin, C. Campbell, Sarah S., Titmus, and the other “greats”? Her agent and her sponsors need to have have a long chat with her. It’s not a good look for her (or MOC or Reagan), and doesn’t make them look tough or anything but tacky and low class. Sorry, kids. Street talk isn’t cute or clever. Haters, bring it out and come after me!!!
What did Molly and Regan do?
This is funny though because we have seen an F-Bomb from Titmus (200 Free at 2021 Australian Olympic Trials, right after the race)