Pallister Punches Twice: 200 Win The Warm-Up For All-Comers 15:18 Mark In 1500 Free
"We train to race, we don't train just to live every day... I think doing another [Worlds] s/c in Beijing and getting up and racing again, and going away with the Australian team and having more international travel and experience is important...and, why not do it?" - Lani Pallister
St Peters' Lani Pallister, the distance queen of Dolphins and the Commonwealth who pipped Katie Ledecky for gold over 800m free at the Pan Pacific Championships, set a 1500m freestyle all-comers record of 15:18.68 to win her second Australian short-course title after 200m victory on the first night of racing in Sydney.
Pallister's first punch was delivered in 1:51.99 over eight lengths freestyle, South Australia's Brittany Castelluzzo second (1:53.07) and Jenna Forrester third (1:54.63).
Beyond the obvious benefits of working under the guidance of coach Dean Boxall after many years of fine development work with her mum and former international Janelle Elford, in conjunction with Michael Bohl before he left to coach in China, Pallister's progress is also a nod to psychologist Dr. Bruce Lawrie.
Qualifiers for World short-course Championships in Beijing this December:
Women’s 200m freestyle
- 1 Lani Pallister 1:51.99, 2 Brittany Castelluzo 1:53.07 (Both under QT for WSC)
Women's 1500m freestyle
- 1 Lani Pallister (15:18.68 All Comers Record)
In Other Finals On Day 1
Nicole Jeffery
The Lowdown With Lani Pallister
Tongue twister - St Peters' Pallister Punches Out A Pair Of Eye-Popping Prize-winners in Sydney, an all-comers 200 free record in the mix - Photos by Delly Carr, for Swimming Australia
Just shy of her career highs of 1:51.75 in the 200m, and an Australia, Commonwealth and Oceania record of 15:13.83 in the 1500m free from last year, Lani Pallister got her short-course season off to a belting start. Here's what she had to say, with Nicole Jeffrey in Sydney:
What did you think of that one (after her 200m win)?
“Oh, yeah, good. I think my best is a 1:51.7 from World Cups last year, at the end of the three Cup stops, and I guess you typically swim faster at the end of it, so 1:53 this morning, that's actually pretty decent after having time off and that sort of thing, coming back to training, and kind of just managing going through, not necessarily targeting something fast at this meet.
"I think time-wise for me, this meet is just about ticking the box, hitting the qualifying time, and having the program that I want in December. It was pretty exciting that I got to do that for the 200, because it’s the first one off the block, and then, obviously, 8, 15 and 4 for the rest of the week. Got the 100 in there, because I've got nothing else on that day, which will be a bit of fun with the gals. It’s been good and I’m actually pretty happy with that considering."
So, what have you done since Pan Pacs You had a short break and then got back in?
“Yeah, I did 2 weeks of nothing. I spent about a week over in West Hollywood with Meg Harris, Lizzy Dekkers, Eve Thomas, who's a Kiwi Olympian [and daughter of Sarah Hardcastle, a World s/c champion on a comeback in the 1990s after a stellar career for Britain in the 1980s, with Commonwealth titles and Olympic and European podiums in the mix], so there was a group of us that kind of just soaked in that atmosphere, went to Disneyland, and did all the touristy things to get it out of the way before the Olympics, and then a slow build back into volume.
"I think it’s really important to be able to go into the Olympic Games in two years' time, and just be completely focussed on the job that I have to do, and, you know, not be tempted to go outside of the bubble and do things other people might want to do, and, you know, I've done that on teams historically when I was quite young. I wanted to go into Paris and see Paris for the weekend in 2022 before Commies, and the last Olympics didn't go exactly the way that I wanted them to, so I'm kind of doing everything now in preparation for having a successful Olympics in LA."
Obviously short course is pretty special to you because you had your first gold medal success there at international level. Is that why you're hanging on to do a 3rd major championship this year?
“Yeah, it's part of it. Like going back to back to back to doing three in a row (in the 800m) would be unreal, but swimming at the elite level is such a short window, and why would I not take the opportunity to travel overseas and race again when that's what training's for.
"We train to race, we don't train just to live every day, so I haven't missed a single team since making the team in 2022. I've done every Australian team that you could do in that time frame, and I think doing another short course in Beijing and getting up and racing again, and going away with the Australian team and having more international travel and experience is important, and why not do it? China's not that far away."
Taking on another big program this week?
“Shortie and I both grew up in life-saving and life-saving was always back-to-back racing with no warm down. You go from the finish line to the start line, and, you know, I still feel really young, which I think is exciting, and I feel like I've only been on the stage for a really short amount of time, an getting up and swimming fast, which is really fun, and is what I want to do.
"So why not do it when I'm at the top of my game? I don't really feel that tired. I don't feel like I need a huge break. I get bored at the end of my two weeks off and want to go back to training and see everyone and hang out with Dean anyway, so I think that was the big reason I went back to training so quickly."
Did you think about pulling back your program for WSC?
“If you have the range to be able to swim from the 2 to the 1500, and you're doing it at such a successful level, then why not keep having a crack at it?
"I'm probably not going to have the four individual events for a world championships or Olympic program, but racing and racing tired at a Pan Pacs and a Commonwealth Games is important. And there’s so much history in that women's 4 X 2, and I really want to be a part of that, and if we want to win in LA, being a 1:53 is a really integral part of that success.
"Then you've got Molly [O'Callaghan] who's going 1:52, I'm a 1:53 now, and she's second faster all time, and I'm fifth fastest all time. So, I think it's pretty hard to stand up in that relay and think that you're not going win it."
When you think back to your first world short course, how different of an athlete do you feel approaching your third one?
“Yeah, I think my first world short course is interesting. Katie didn’t race, Summer didn't race, Li didn’t race, so as much as I came away with four world titles, I think a lot of people were kind of like, Well, it's only because the other people weren't there. And as I've gotten older and kept climbing the ranks and that sort of thing, I feel like I've slowly gotten a little bit more credit for the career that I have had, but I guess until you have a world championship title or an Olympic title, I guess you don't really demand the same sort of respect, in that sort of way, which is also a driving force."
