2025 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS
- Monday, June 9th – Saturday, June 14th
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Oaklands Park, South Australia
- Prelims at 11am local (9:30pm ET night before)/Finals at 7:30pm local (6:00am ET) nights 1&2; 7pm local (5:30am ET) nights 3-6
- LCM (50m)
- Swimming Australia World Championships Selection Criteria
- Meet Central
- Livestream (VPN needed outside of Australia)
- Start List
- Heat Sheets
- Live Results
- Recaps:
History was made during tonight’s final of the women’s 400m freestyle as Olympian Lani Pallister ripped the first sub-4:00 time of her career.
23-year-old Pallister of St. Peters Western fired off a time of 3:59.72 to get the job done, becoming just the 7th performer ever to clear the 4:00 barrier.
Pallister’s time easily beat the 4:10.23 qualification standard for the World Championships in Singapore next month.
Teammate Jamie Perkins also made the grade, notching 4:04.03 for a near-lifetime best while Amelia Weber hit 4:06.78 as the 3rd-place finisher.
As for Pallister, her monster effort this evening represents a big-time personal best, overtaking the 4:01.75 notched at last year’s Australian National Championships.
She remains Australia’s #2 performer in history, sitting only behind Ariarne Titmus who saw her World Record of 3:55.38 get overtaken just this week by Olympic multi-gold medalist Summer McIntosh. McIntosh of Canada scorched a new WR of 3:54.18 at her nation’s World Championship Trials.
Splits for Pallister’s performance are below, with the Dean Boxall-trained ace attacking each lap with consistent splits, each coming in under 31 seconds. Of note, this is a recent coaching change for Pallister who formerly trained at Griffith University.
| Pallister’s New 3:59.72 PB | Pallister’s Old 4:01.75 PB |
| 27.31 | 27.79 |
| 29.58 | 30.06 |
| 29.90 | 30.50 |
| 30.54 | 30.67 |
| 30.38 | 30.61 |
| 30.79 | 30.93 |
| 30.89 | 31.18 |
| 30.33 | 30.01 |
Pallister’s performance checks her in as the 6th-swiftest woman in history.
Top 10 Women’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 3:54.18, 2025
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 3:55.38, 2023
- Katie Ledecky (USA) – 3:56.46, 2016
- Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 3:59.15, 2009
- Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 3:59.44, 2024
- Lani Pallister (AUS) – 3:59.72, 2025
- Li Bingjie (CHN) – 3:59.99, 2025
- Claire Weinstein (USA) – 4:00.05, 2025
- Joanne Jackson (GBR) – 4:00.60, 2009
- Leah Smith (USA) – 4:00.65, 2016
This women’s 400m freestyle remains one of the most highly anticipated events worldwide as the field keeps getting faster and faster. American Katie Ledecky recently put up her speediest time in 9 years, hitting 3:56.81 at the Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale last month, while China’s Li Bingjie joined the sub-4:00 club with 3:59.99 at the national championships earlier this season.
Pallister was a medal contender in this 400m free at the 2024 Olympic Games. However, she wound up dropping the race to conserve energy for the 800m/1500m free events before contracting COVID-19, which led her to also drop the 1500m free.
She bounced back in time for the women’s 4×200 free relay, where she swam prelims, earned a spot in finals, and swam a key leg in the final to help Australia earn their first gold in the event since 2008.
1:57.3 to the feet means she should improve her 1:55.5 20” free.
This is another benefit of the recent performances by Ledecky and McIntosh. Wake up the masses. Blow open the doors.
The 400 freestyle has long been an underachieving event. There’s absolutely no reason the number of sub-4 performers is so ridiculously low. This isn’t the 800 or 1500 where the talent level is subpar.
This number should double soon. It’s like women’s 1500 in track and field, where 4 minutes was elusive but now they take it down in droves.
It would serve swimming well if there was more competition in the 800/1500.
Pallister, Weinstein and Li should be a great race for bronze.. maybe Fairweather too if she’s in good form.
The 4 minute barrier is a massive achievement. The distance races in Singapore are going to be must-watch television.
There are going to be so many people with the ability for sub 4 at this worlds! Very much possible someone goes sub 4 and is out of the medals
It happened in 2023, I see no reason why it won’t happen in 2025
It’s exciting to see another swimmer break the four minute barrier.
Lani will definitely be in the hunt for a medal in Singapore. Looking forward to seeing what time she can swim in the 800.
Very happy for Lani – long time coming and she’s done it.
Lani is a star – one who shines on many levels!
A star? The bar must be set real low for a female swimmer who has never won an individual medal at the Summer Olympics.