CALIFORNIA: Australia completed a freestyle sweep at the Pan Pacific Championships on Friday, with Sam Short and Lani Pallister winning the men’s and women’s 400 metres titles in California.
Short, who also won the 800m freestyle on Wednesday, led from the start at the William Woollett Aquatics Center before touching in 3:40.52.
The time was a championship record, eclipsing Ian Thorpe’s mark of 3:41.83 set in Sydney in 1999. It also surpassed the U.S. Open record of 3:43.33 set by Rex Maurer in 2025.
China’s Zhang Zhanshuo finished second in 3:42.42, with American Aaron Shackell taking bronze in 3:43.44.
“I thought I was going 3:39. I had so much left for the end, but personal best — can’t complain and to beat Thorpe’s record,” Short said.
The victory followed his 400m freestyle gold at last month’s Commonwealth Games.
Pallister completed the Australian sweep in the women’s event, holding off American Katie Ledecky to win in a personal-best 3:58.42.
Ledecky took silver in 4:00.15, while New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather claimed bronze in 4:02.35.
Pallister, 24, built a lead of more than two seconds by the halfway point before resisting Ledecky’s late challenge.
“I knew I had easy speed. And I think it got me on the back end,” Pallister said.
World record holder Summer McIntosh failed to reach the final after being eliminated in the heats.
American Gretchen Walsh won the women’s 100m butterfly in a championship-record 55.15 seconds.
