The headliner race of the night was a three-way showdown, and Ledecky led all the way to touch in 8:05.62, a new championship record by.
Pallister was 0.36 seconds behind him, with McIntosh another 1.31 seconds back in third place. The three swimmers were within a few strokes of each other the entire way, all finishing in under 8:10 — something that is not typically seen at Saturday finals.
A Night of USA Swimming Records
Ledecky then braced her competitors after the race: "Great swims by Lani with the 8:05, Summer with the 8:07… so many good swimmers in that field." I really felt the pressure, as they were basically as quick. I kept saying to myself, 'Trust your legs.
Adami opened up the running last leg, still ahead of everyone, but fell back for a fleeting moment with under 100 to go before reasserting herself.
The victory gives Ledecky two golds so far at this championship to complement last night's win in the 1500m freestyle. It is her 23rd world title all-time.
Still only 18, McIntosh has won three golds already — in the women's 200m butterfly, 400m freestyle and 200m medley — with one more possible again on Sunday in the women's 400 m individual medley.
Another notable performance was Team USA setting a world record in the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay. Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass, and Torri Huske went 3:18.48 to clip 0.35 from the Australian time, which stood as a world record of 3:18.83 since December 2023.
