Lani Pallister (born 6 June 2002) is an Australian competitive swimmer. She is a world record holder in two sports, with a world record in swimming, the short course 4×200-metre freestyle relay, and world records in life saving for the youth age group in the 100-metre rescue medley and 200-metre super lifesaver. She holds the Oceanian, Commonwealth, and Australian records in the short course 1500-metre freestyle and the Australian record in the short course 800-metre freestyle. She is the first female World Short Course champion in the 1500-metre freestyle, winning the inaugural event for women at the 2022 edition. Over the course of the 2022 World Short Course Championships, she won the gold medal in each of the four events she contested (three individual events and one relay).
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, she became the first Australian woman to win a medal in the 1500-metre freestyle at a World Aquatics Championships, winning the bronze medal. She is a seven-time, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Pier to Pub open water swim winner.
Background Pallister was born on 6 June 2002 in Sydney to mother Janelle Pallister, a swimmer at the 1988 Summer Olympics and gold medalist at the 1990 Commonwealth Games."Lani Pallister: Results". FINA. Retrieved 8 November 2021.SwimSwam (28 December 2020). "SSPC: Lani Pallister Breaks Down What It's Like Having Your Mum as Your Coach". YouTube. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Race, Retta (13 December 2020). "Lani Pallister & Mom Coach Janelle Make Move To Griffith". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021. She has been coached by her mother since a young age and in 2020 changed swimming clubs to Griffith University where she is coached by both Janelle Pallister and Michael Bohl.Hanson, Ian (13 December 2020). "Lani Pallister Will Prepare For The Tokyo Olympic Trials On Gold Coast after Mum Janelle's Coaching Switch". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 November 2021. Her godmother is Olympian Dawn Fraser.
Career 2017–2018 2017 World Junior Championships In August, 15-year-old Pallister competed at the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, held in Indianapolis, United States, placing eighth in the 1500-metre freestyle with a 16:32.59 and tenth in the 800-metre freestyle with a 8:39.86.FINA (28 August 2017). "6th FINA World Junior Championships 2017 Indianapolis (USA): Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved 3 September 2022. She followed up with a first open water title in the annual Pier to Pub swim in January 2018 at 15 years of age.
2018 National Pool Life Saving Championships When Pallister was 16 years old, she set a new world life saving record in the 100-metre rescue medley of 1:12.14 at the 2018 National Pool Championships in Adelaide in August, lowering the previous record by over three tenths of a second."Lani Pallister Will Prepare For The Tokyo Olympic Trials On Gold Coast after Mum Janelle's Coaching Switch". Surf Life Saving Australia. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships At the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Suva, Fiji in August, Pallister won gold medals in the 1500-metre freestyle, 800-metre freestyle, 400-metre freestyle, as well as silver medals in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay and the 200-metre freestyle.Lepesant, Anne (26 August 2018). "Lani Pallister Dominates Distance Free Events At 2018 Junior Pan Pacs". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021. Her time of 16:08.09 in the 1500-metre freestyle set a new Championships record in the event.D'Addona, Dan (25 August 2018). "Lani Pallister Breaks Junior Pan Pacific Record in 1500 Free". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 November 2021. She also won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, which made her total medal count for the Championships six medals.
2018 World Lifesaving Championships Returning to Adelaide following her success at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Pallister competed at the 2018 World Lifesaving Championships in November, helping team Australia win the world crown at the Championships."Australian Life Saving team wins back world crown in Adelaide". Surf Life Saving Australia. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2021.Race, Retta (27 November 2018). "Junior Pan Pacs Gold Medalist Pallister Excels At Lifesaving C'Ships". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021. In the 200-metre super lifesaver event she set a new youth world life saving record in the event at 2:24.19. She also set a new world life saving record in the 100-metre rescue medley at 1:10.21, which was almost two seconds faster than the previous record she set in August.
2019–2020 In January 2019, Pallister won her second-consecutive title in the Pier to Pub open water swim in Lorne, winning the women's event, a 1.2-kilometre race, in a time of 12:20.Taylor, James (16 January 2019). "Queensland teens win again at Pier to Pub". Surf Coast Times. Retrieved 25 December 2022."Pier to Pub Honour Board". Lorne Surf Lifesaving Club. Retrieved 25 December 2022. Two months later, in March at the year's Surf Life Saving Australia Championships in Burleigh Heads, 16-year-old Pallister narrowly won the national title in the 2-kilometre ocean swim ahead of second-place finisher Kareena Lee."Pallister and Sloman win ocean swim titles with fast legs". Surf Life Saving Australia. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
2019 World Junior Championships
As a 17-year-old at the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August, Pallister won her first medal, a silver medal, in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay where she split a 1:58.61 for the lead-off leg of the relay, helping achieve a final time of 7:57.87.FINA (20 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021. She won her first gold medal in the 800-metre freestyle, where she finished first with a Championships record time of 8:22.49.FINA (21 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 800m Freestyle Fastest Heat Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Race, Retta (21 August 2019). "Aussie Lani Pallister Blasts 8:22.49 800 Free World Junior C'Ships Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 November 2021. Pallister delivered her second gold medal in Championships record time in the 400-metre freestyle with a time of 4:05.42.FINA (23 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 400m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Race, Retta (23 August 2019). "Pallister Adds 4Free World Junior Title To Resumé For 8th Fastest Aussie Ever". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Ross, Andy (23 August 2019). "Lani Pallister, Josh Matheny Set Championship Records on Fourth Night of World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest". Swimming World. Retrieved 9 November 2021. On 24 August, Pallister won the 1500-metre freestyle with a time of 15:58.86, which marked her third gold medal at the Championships, set a new Championships record in the event, and was over 15 seconds faster than the next fastest swimmer in the event.FINA (24 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 1500m Freestyle Fastest Heat Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Lepesant, Madeleine (24 August 2019). "Lani Pallister Breaks The Championships Record In 1500m At World Juniors". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Ross, Andy (24 August 2019). "Lani Pallister Takes Distance-Free Triple With 15:58 World Junior Championships Record In 1500m". Swimming World. Retrieved 9 November 2021. Later in the same finals session, she won her second silver medal of the Championships, this time in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay where she swam a 55.23 for the third leg of the relay, contributing to the final time of 3:40.85.FINA (24 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021. Pallister finished competing on 25 August, the final day of competition, winning a silver medal in the 200-metre freestyle with a time of 1:58.09 and making her efforts six-for-six in terms of medaling in every event she raced, winning a total of three gold medals and three silver medals.FINA (25 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Women's 200m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 9 November 2021.Carlson, Reid (25 August 2019). "Lani Pallister Finishes 2019 World Junior Champs With Silver In 200 Freestyle". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
After the end of competition, Pallister was named as one of two swimmers of the Championships, receiving the "Female Swimmer of the Championships" honour from FINA while Andrey Minakov of Russia was named as "Male Swimmer of the Championships".Ross, Andy (25 August 2019). "Andrei Minakov, Lani Pallister Named Swimmers of the Meet at World Juniors". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 November 2021. She was publicly announced as a nominee for the "One to Watch" award, one of the Australian Women's Health Sport Awards, in October 2019.Race, Retta (7 October 2019). "Beyond The Lane Lines: Pallister & Clareburt Earn Awards, Rice Opens Academy". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021. The following month, Pallister was announced as the recipient of the "One to Watch" award."Why Lani Pallister Is One Athlete To Watch In 2020". Women's Health. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2020 Queensland Championships Pallister started off 2020 with a third-consecutive open water title in the Pier to Pub swim in January."2020 Pier to Pub: Lani Pallister adds to her collection with third win". Geelong Advertiser. January 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2022. In September, at the Queensland Short Course Championships, she set a new Australian record and a new Australian All Comers record in the 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8:11.71, which made her the first Australian woman to swim the race in less than 8 minutes and 12 seconds.Hanson, Ian (24 September 2020). "BREAKING: Olympic hopeful Lani Pallister sets Australian 800m freestyle Short Course Record of 8 minutes 11.71". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 November 2021.Race, Retta (25 September 2020). "World Junior Champion Lani Pallister Clocks SCM 800 Free Aussie Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2020 Australian Short Course Championships Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 Australian Short Course Championships were held virtually in November, Pallister took full advantage of the Championships still being held and set a new Australian record and a new Australian All Comers record in the 800-metre freestyle with her time of 8:10.12.Race, Retta (27 November 2020). "Pallister Punches Australian Record In 800 Freestyle". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021.Hanson, Ian (29 November 2020). "Australia's "Sunshine Sisters" Kaylee McKeown and Lani Pallister Light Up The Dolphins Fast Lane". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 November 2021. She also set new Australian and Australian All Comers records in the 1500-metre freestyle with a time of 15:28.33 that made her the fourth fastest female swimmer in the race in history only behind Sarah Köhler of Germany, Mireia Belmonte of Spain, and Lauren Boyle of New Zealand.Race, Retta (29 November 2020). "Mom-Trained Pallister Hits SCM 1500 Free Aussie Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
2022