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This may be the GREATEST race in swimming history
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- Published on Feb 14, 2026
- Kate Ledecky, Summer McIntosh and Lani Pallister all BATTLED through 8 minutes of racing in the women's 800 free, it was a RIDICULOUSLY fast race with some world class race strategy
![Brent Faiyaz - wrong faces. [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tdHhtTvJBDc/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't think there's been a single person in history with Katie's mental fortitude. I genuinely can't wrap my head around it.
Pallister impressed the hell out of me.
For real me too
I think my favorite quote of the broadcast was Rowdy saying something along the lines of “Who invited her to this party?”
8:05 is just nutty especially when she had a PB of 8:15 until this year, went 8:10 at trials and then THAT
@TheSwimScribe yeah that was funny. I was watching wrestling but I watched the replay on NBC Sports' RUclips channel and I was thoroughly entertained. As a competitive swimmer myself, this kind of race was what I live for.
Lani is just a weapon, it’s good to see she’s finally getting her flowers after she devastating catching covid in paris before her main events
@TheSwimScribe typical anti-Australian commentary though!
i started watching at around the 500 mark since i just woke up and i was so confused to see three people in the lead and not 2
Ledecky must be enjoying her racing so much more because she’s not just against the clock anymore. Finally there are two fantastic athletes that have been able to push her the whole way. I just can’t believe she’s still at this level or maybe even higher this late in her career. One in a lifetime athlete.
Titmus, who unfortunately was absent for this aquatics championship also pushed Ledecky at the 800 in Paris last year
Ledecky finally has some competition
@Trepur349Titmus lost both finals Tokyo and Paris..
Greatest distance swim ever 🔥
Its crazy to think that the 5th fastest performer off all time came 4th in this heat. A time that would have gotten you a silver in basically any other 800 final. Swimflation is real
One of the classic races. Three in the hunt from the gun. Could Pallister last the pace. I had a feeling Lani would do it. Ledecky faced not one but two determined opponents and brought it home through the pain. It showed after the race. Lani Pallister was just phenomenal. Summer McIntosh left it in the pool with a fabulous bronze.
Katie is the Goat.
At 74 I've been watching fabulous races in the pool and on the track from the early sixties. This was a classic to match any from the past.
As a neutral and someone in the stadium: this race was 🔥🔥
Was going crazy shouting for Lani, always like an upset, but in the end the queen won.
That´s easily one of the greatest swimming races I´ve ever seen. Top 10. It was so even throughout 800m and blistering fast. Amazing.
At least 3 more years of at least 2/3 of the racers in that race. Hopefully all 3.
Pallister is the future of this event
You do a great job with these.
And then the Aussie arrived! She's coming for that record
Katie is one of a kind as far as enduring pain (probably mostly in her practices - they all endure pain in the races). It is tough to swim so many years without a personal best - but she is still on top. It cannot last forever, will she retire before she loses or let the race itself tell her she is done?
Loving that bulletin board slide in lol
Anyone else notice Summer M ignored winner Katie L at race end??
She's so mad at herself, this has nothing to do with her disrespecting Ledecky.
If you see her interview after with Canadian media she's very complimentary to Katie, but you can see the steam coming out of her ears she's so mad at herself.
Anyone else notice the immense amount of respect that Summer and Katie have for each other?
A normal person will ignore
@mentochexactly, she knows she went too soon and paid for it.
Yep, Summer needs to learn humility. Never thought I would champion an American over a Canadian, but there you have it.
intense dedication to the sport from you to be locked in at the back room of work 🙌
This is a good analysis!
Greatest race that I've ever seen. I was cheering for Katie a lot beacuse I knew this was the race that she needed to win, not for the records or to add more golds but to make it clear who she is 🐐
This makes me wonder just how long Katie can keep it up.
Great Video analysis
the top 5 finishers in this race all swam the 800 in less time than it took me to watch this video
insane depth!
Despite Summer's obvious speed, the big worry was always going to be that Ledecky's vast edge in experience would deny McIntosh and that's exactly what happened. Ledecky swam a masterful race and Pallister dropped almost five seconds off her PB at the Australian trials. Fabulous race.
And Summer swimming a much heavier schedule.
Jack alexy crazy split
I agree
Fantastic race
Where new vid
MacIntosh wins 4 gold medals, and a bronze (at a fairly new event for her), at only 18. Won't be long before she will winning in the 800m, as well. GO Summer! Go Canada!
Too bad she seems like a poor sport.
@herzchen666 not true whatsoever, but sure, make up stuff Lol
@BuellersBack I’m not sure about the poor sport stuff, but I am wondering what’s taking Summer so long to win or dominate? After all, Ledecky was the world’s greatest athlete fifteen. Just a bit of sarcasm.
I believe the 800 free is the greatest of all the events. Used to be not very competitive compared to what’s happening now.
I think I saw that Canada needs to put more into their support of their swim program. I just saw a news video about the lack of top tier facilities. I hope it’s a bs video. I honestly believe Canada takes great pride in all of its sports and its athletes, not just hockey and curling ( more sarcasm ).
@brokl26watch her post 800m event post interview and you will understand. It’s a new event for her and she knows she can improve quite a bit. She’s only 18 and wasn’t that far off. It’s just a matter of time before she beats her. She was very respectful towards Ledecky, so it’s BS to say she’s a poor sport (not you). World class all around, and 4 golds and a bronze is insane. (Not sure if you meant your whole comment was sarcasm, otherwise my apologies lol)
@BuellersBack You’re acting like I was stating that she wasn’t fantastic. I didn’t say anything negative about her that wasn’t deemed sarcasm.
Read the comment and then try to understand the comment. It’s pretty simple.
Summer Mc Intosh is very much in love with Léon Marchand! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Sure, already married and eloped.. 😂😂😂😂😂
Keep sleeping on Lani. She may not have Ledecky's resume or Summer's youth but she is a very inexperienced 23 year old (thanks to injuries and health issues) and now she has Dean Boxall behind her. Of the first four finishers in this event she has the most potential for improvement.
Imo I think lani has more potential in this race than summer. Idek if summer will swim this seriously again, she’s so much better at the IMs and fly
The heir apparent seems no longer to be McIntosh.
Do you think that summer can break the world record?
If Katie five-peats in LA, there’s a serious argument for her being the 🐐 (yes even above MP)
I honestly think she's above MP. He swims more events then her and more relay events then her. It's not really her fault that the US women's team doesn't dominate relay events like the men's team does. He also never had the stranglehold on a singular race like Ledecky has in both the 800 and the 1500
Gracias por mostrar un poco de la carrera, pero dónde se puede ver completa?
World aquatics RUclips
BACK UP FROM THE CAMERA, POPEYE.
Ledecky 28 year n Macintosh she 18 year,,,but ledecky she amazing...well done🔥🔥🔥
The swim scribe can I just call u ss in future vid comments
Go for it
Swim scribe you gonna do medley relays?
Don’t know if I’ll get anything out today, I might end up switching to talking about different swimmers and their worlds overall. I also have an idea for a bigger worlds video but that is 50/50 on happening
@TheSwimScribesick
Sorry, 4x100 in Beijing was the greatest.
Best relay was the one where Gary Hall Jr said he would play the Aussies like guitars… so the Aussies played air guitar for him lol
Summer is obviously the heir apparent to Katie. It’s clear she wants to be the one to beat Katie at all the distances in Championships before she retires. It’s why she was so mad at herself in the 800. Katie should retire on top before that happens. It’s already happening, except for the 1500.
Katie definitely not retiring before LA
McIntosh seems like a brat.
Summer dominated these world championships, but now the Americans will spin it that an American did. No suprise.
Hello, Summer. My names Lani! :]
Great video ?
No way.
Great blabbing perhaps.
But I was looking for the video of that « greatest race in swimming history ».
For those curious: The longest streak of consecutive world titles is 36, in trials motorcycling.
EDIT: also, as a resident of Canada, i’m sick to death of seeing Summer’s face. Good to see her humiliated in this race.
She is EIGHTEEN. Give yourself a break.
That says way more about you than her.
Bro I get that she acted a bit rude at the end of the race but she’s summer man. Of course she’ll be famous
*Be honest*
Greatest was 200m freestyle for men in Athens, Olympics 2004.
Or the 2008 100m relay USA vs France.
McIntosh has only swam that race in competition 2-3 times. Ledecky was the heavy favorite. The "greatest race in history" is hyperbolic clickbait nonsense.
Ledecky won the 800m Olympic gold her first try tho, how about that?
@lucyounjian5235Plus Macintosh is so cocky
@thiec.1513 hell yeah she is and she should be. That's the mindset of the greats. But she's also humble and extremely respectful of her fellow competitors and I haven't heard a single negative comment from one of her fellow swimmers.
@lucyounjian5235she also trained hard for it. That distance has not been Summer's focus ever, compared to her other disciplines. If she put her mind to it, I've no doubt she could dominate the 800 for years.
Summer swam the 800 at the Tokyo Olympics.
That's like Summers second or third 800 free in a major championship she's still learning the pace much like in the 400 free that took her a few cracks at it to become the world record holder and champ, give her a couple of years and she will start to erase Ledeckys records in the longer distances as well. As for "the goat" it's a lot easier to be a specialist in a single discipline than it is to be the best all around swimmer in the world which unquestionably Summer is. 🇨🇦
Great? Yeah. Greatest? In your dreams mr. Swim Scribe :) Nothing beats 2008 100 fly.
Mcintosh is obviously the superior swimmer winning 4 gold in three different events while Ledecky has only ever won in one event. Just imagine if Summer was only training for freestyle races where she has already thrown Ledecky out of the 400 metres and she would blow out any opposition as she did in these 4 golds at 18. Sure Ledecky is the champion of one track ponies but to be great in swimming history you need more than one even like Spitz and Phelps . But I fear she is pushing herself too fast and will blow out.
What a joke that Ledecky is considered the GOAT! She may be the best freestyle distance swimmer of all time but hardly the best swimmer. Clearly Summer is the GOAT as far as complete swimmer goes. Remember Summer beat Ledecky in the 400 freestyle. Summer just started swimming the 800 and if she chooses will easily surpass Ledecky within a few years in that event too
Pallister was pushing hard that last 25m or so. If there was another 10m she might of passed Ledecky, who knows. Mcintosh was falling pretty fast in that last 25m. Crazy times for everyone though.
it isnt. stop this nonsense