News, Singapore2025

Singapore Day 7 - Swimming Wrap

A day to remember, all finals stacked with pioneering lines, but one that delivered the greatest women's distance freestyle race in history

by Craig Lord

published August 03, 2025

Singapore Day 7 - Swimming Wrap — **Katie Ledecky - more Stars and Stripes to the mast for a win of wins in.the 800m freestyle - Photo copyright Copyright Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto - all rights reserved**

Every final threw up pioneering lines, podium efforts lauded for the speed that knocked times at the 2024 Olympic Games into a cocked hat (a little too much forgetfulness when it comes to pool depths and what a 2.1m depth prevented in Paris last year).

There was yet another double for Kaylee McKeown, the boss of backstroke, and yet another winning dash from her teammate "The Professor", Cameron McEvoy; Maxime Grousset and Noe Ponti flew into the sub-50s in the 100 'fly; and Gretchen Walsh's dominant 'fly dash doubled the membership of the sub-025 club in world0-champs waters missing Sarah Sjostrom for the best of reasons.

And then there was this - the greatest women's distance freestyle race in history. That's no disrespect for any of the 'race of the century claims real and daft before it but there's no question that what we witnessed went way beyond its billing, spilling into a three-way fight at pioneering pace, a fourth pioneering effort making the 800m freestyle here in Singapore the fastest 16 lengths ever, the tightness of the tussle at a pace four women have never mustered before in one pool, or even remotely in one and all seasons, made this moment simply the best. Links to our coverage of day 7 below.

It had It all: three main contenders in the centre lanes, stroke for stroke, neck and neck, a legend leading the race, pretenders to the throne sticking to her gems and swimming genius like glue to this soaring outcome:

Katie Ledecky United States 8:05.62 CR
Lani Pallister Australia 8:05.98 OC / NR (also inside prev. CR)
Summer McIntosh Canada 8:07.29 (also inside prev. CR)
Simona Quadarella Italy 8:12.81 ER / NR

That, and the closing 4x100m mixed relay, which produced a World record for the United States, took the Americans to the head of the medals table for the first time all week. Yes, there was illness in the USA camp but not only that camp. The Brits confirmed yesterday that they, too, had more issues than they had previously mentioned but didn't want to drag a public whinge through the week, the importance of quiet reliance to a team holding the potential to be underestimated at a team's cost. Masks have been seen around the building and disinfectant gels are out in force once more. Some of those who never dropped some of those habits have been rewarded, though lucky /unlucky plays its hand at such times.

It's year 1 in the new Olympic cycle in a new era that leaves behind the chaos of Covid behind with a time when planning became a less certain art, cancellations, covid catch-up contracts, far too many events squeezed into a bolt-on diet of targets that had an exhaustive effect on athletes and not only them.

A good time to learn, readjust, bring rookies into the team environment on one of the biggest occasions on the calendar, but one that here in Singapore with its calmer dimensions, more modest spectator capacities and crowds, might have been just the right pitch for the launch of a new journey into the next uncharted waters.