SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – JULY 29: Katie Ledecky of Team United States reacts after winning the gold medal during the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day 19 of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships at World Aquatics Championships Arena on July 29, 2025 in Singapore. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
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Katie Ledecky’s dominance remains untouched in the 800 free. Maintaining her historic streak at Worlds, Katie Ledecky won her seventh world title in the event. She surpassed Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who finished third despite her strong efforts throughout the race.
Ledecky continues to remain the best middle-distance freestyle swimmer after emerging on top in 8:05.62. Claiming her 18th individual gold medal overall, she is now the first swimmer with seven world titles in a single event.
Despite being the most highly anticipated event of the meet, Ledecky said she “enjoyed” the race, feeling less pressure as she had been training throughout the year.
“I think coming into tonight, no matter what the outcome was, I was gonna be really happy with my season. And I think I just took the pressure off and allowed me to enjoy the race and kind of appreciate that moment,” a proud Ledecky said as she acknowledged her consistency through the season.
Ledecky maintained a steady lead for more than half of the race, keeping McIntosh at bay till the final 100 meters. In the last laps, McIntosh, hungry for her fourth individual gold, surged for a brief 0.14 seconds. But Ledecky, in her typical manner, showcased her resilience in the distance event, took back the lead, advancing by a quarter of a second.
Despite McIntosh’s efforts to win, the swimmer grew tired and began to fade away. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Ledecky’s toughest competition came from a different lane by Australia’s Lani Pallister. Pallister, the third-fastest 800 free swimmer, surpassed McIntosh and continued to be a constant threat to Ledecky until the end of the race. Still, there was no keeping up with Ledecky, who was determined to create history in the waters of Singapore.
Ledecky’s time helped her set a new championship record, surpassing the previous mark of 8:07.39 she set at the 2015 World championships. “That last 100 was pretty stressful. You don’t want to push it too early, so you don’t fade at the end.”
Pallister claimed her well-deserved first win in 800 free in 8:05.98, setting a new personal best and Oceania record in the process. “She just wouldn’t go away. She was right there the whole time,” said Ledecky as she appreciated Pallister’s effort through the race. The swimmer “had to pick up” in the last laps as she saw Pallister’s “coming, the whole way.”
18-year-old McIntosh rounded up to the podium in 8:07.29. After winning the 200 fly, 400 free, and 200 IM, her performance today helped take McIntosh’s tally to a total of nine individual world titles. The swimmer is now looking forward to her last event of the meet, the 400 IM. “At this point, I’m literally just thinking about the 400 IM because I’m not done yet.”
Swim Of The Season
NANTERRE, FRANCE – JULY 31: Katie Ledecky of Team United States celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day five of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 31, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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The 800 free race was undoubtedly the most discussed race of the season. Last year, McIntosh became a potential rising star in the event after becoming the first swimmer to surpass Katie Ledecky in the free finals in 13 years. Since then, both swimmers continued to improve in 2025, preparing for their first showdown at the world stage.
Veteran Ledecky bounced back months before the meet and shattered her first long-course world record in nine years in 8:04.12. This was followed by her third-fastest performance at trials in 8:05.76.
On the other hand, McIntosh, despite participating in only a handful of races in the free category, continued to be a major threat to Ledecky. At the Canadian trials, McIntosh qualified for the 800 free race in 8:05.07, missing out on Ledecky’s world record by only a few seconds. However, the swimmer managed to surpass Ledecky’s trials time and register the new third-fastest time, behind Ledecky’s current world record and the previous record set in Rio.
After years of dominating the 800 free, Katie Ledecky is now facing a fair share of competition. The swimmer’s top times in the event have been significantly reduced. Apart from McIntosh, Pallister’s efforts in the future can make the 800 free line-up more interesting on home soil for Ledecky in 2028.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/parasjan/2025/08/02/katie-ledecky-maintains-her-800-free-reign-at-2025-aquatics-championships/