Aug 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. enjoyed a successful first day at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, on Wednesday, with Katie Ledecky winning the 1,500 metres freestyle and the hosts’ 4×100m mixed medley relay team setting a world record.
Ledecky, who last lost a 1,500 race in July 2010, came home in a time of 15 minutes and 36.09 seconds, with Australian Lani Pallister finishing a surprisingly close 2.53 seconds behind.
“Even with a swim I’m not super happy with, it’s just so much fun to be in this environment and get to experience this,” Ledecky, 29, said.
In the day’s final event, Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass won the mixed medley in 3:36.70, bettering the previous mark of 3:37.43, also set by an American team in 2024.
“One of the benefits of being the anchor in a relay like this is to watch all of my teammates kill it, and they kind of do the work for me,” said Douglass, who swam the freestyle leg.
“They got me out ahead, and I used the energy from the crowd to bring me home.”
Australia took silver in 3:39:30 with Canada third in 3:43.22.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pallister edged Canada’s Summer McIntosh to win the 200 freestyle title. McIntosh made her move in the closing stages but Pallister responded to touch the wall first in one minute, 53.67 seconds, 0.19 ahead of the Canadian.
New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather was third.
“Racing this week at Pan Pac is the first taste of racing at the Olympics in two years’ time,” Pallister said. “I don’t often race the 200 individually, so going 1:53 is wicked here.”
The 24-year-old won Olympic gold as part of Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay team at the Paris Games in 2024.
She also claimed silver in the 800 at last year’s World Championships in Singapore, finishing behind Ledecky and ahead of McIntosh.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll and Aadi Nair; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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