Budapest 2024, Day 2 Finals: Lani Pallister Defends 800 Free Title In Championship Record
Lani Pallister dominated throughout to defend her 800 world short-course title as she set a championship record of 8:01.95 in the fastest heat in Budapest.
The Olympic 4×2 relay gold medallist went 0.95 inside Li Bingjie’s CR 0f 8:02.90 that had stood since the 2021 edition in Abu Dhabi and it was also an Australian standard.
Pallister became only the second woman to successfully defend the title and the first since Chen Hua of China won three straight golds in the event in 1999, 2000 and 2002.
The 22-year-old is coached by her mother Janelle Pallister, a treble Commonwealth medallist in 1990 and 1988 Olympian. “I have a lot to thank my mum for,” she said. “I am really happy to end 2024 the way it’s going. After the 400 yesterday (in which she won silver), I thought I might crack. I am struggling a bit with confidence. I wanted to see how close I could go to 8 minutes. I’m more than happy.”
Isabel Gose, winner of Olympic and world medals this year, added short-course silver in a German record of 8:05.42 with the USA’s Katie Grimes third in 8:05.90.
It was a first global short-course medal for Gose who has collected extensive silverware on the world and European stages in the past couple of years.
She became the first German woman to visit the podium in the 800 since Kerstin Kielglass won silver in 1997.
“I still have to practice to trust myself, that I race can race with the front of the race, but it went much better today and I am happy with this result.”
For Grimes, it followed her 400IM silver at Paris 2024. “Overall, I’m satisfied with my performance,” said the USA swimmer. “I didn’t expect this time, I always want to swim better, still, I’m glad that we have such a good team and I can be part of it.”
The top six finishers all came from the fastest heat with the medal-winning trio followed by Olympic bronze medallist Paige Madden (8:07.22), Italian Simona Quadarella (8:09.39) and Anastasiya Kirpichnikova of France (8:15.16).
European long-course champion Ajna Kesely of Hungary headed the three slowest heats in the Budapest prelims and her time of 8:18.04 saw her finish seventh overall with Singapore Gan Ching Hwee eighth in the standings in 8:18.85.
