Lani Pallister stuns Katie Ledecky with her first international 800 free loss at Pan Pacs

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Lani Pallister of Australia stunned Katie Ledecky with her first international loss in the 800-meter freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships on Saturday night.

Pallister was under world-record pace for much of the race and touched in 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds to erase Ledecky's championship record from 2018.

“I was just so locked in and I've been really focused on what I want," Pallister said. “The 800 is my favorite event.”

Ledecky took silver in a season-best 8:07.26.

“That was definitely my best swim of the week, so I’m actually pretty happy with it,” she said. “If I was going to get second tonight, I wanted to make it a good one. Just wanted to make it hard for Lani.”

Ledecky is the four-time Olympic champion in her signature event. The American's lone previous defeat in an 800 free final since 2010 came in a small domestic meet in February 2024 against Summer McIntosh of Canada.

“Katie's such a dominant force,” a breathless Pallister said after the race.

Kate Douglass lowered her own world record in the 50 free for the second time Saturday, winning the final in 23.19 — one of three events on the final night.

“I was doubting myself, questioning my ability to do the triple,” she said. “My coaches and my teammates just really had a lot of faith in me and they really gave me a lot of energy.”

In the morning preliminaries, the 24-year-old American swam 23.49 to take the mark away from teammate Gretchen Walsh, who finished second in the evening final in 23.74.

Douglass returned 25 minutes later to finish second in the 200 breaststroke. She rallied from third down the stretch but couldn’t catch Alexanne Lepage of Canada, who led the entire race and touched in a lifetime best of 2:21.73. Douglass finished in 2:22.57.

“I feel like I’m just a little bit shocked,” Lepage said.

Walsh had owned the 50 free record of 23.55 since setting it in June at an international meet in Rome.

It’s the third time Douglass has lowered the world mark in the sprint race. She first did it on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, posting a time of 23.59. Nine days later, Walsh lowered it again.

Fourteen minutes after climbing out of the pool, Douglass appeared on the medals podium in her cap and goggles to accept her gold. The other medalists were dressed in their usual team sweats. Eleven minutes after that, Douglass dived in for the 200 breast final.

Douglass capped a busy night by anchoring the U.S. women to a dominant victory in the 4 x 100 medley relay. Their time of 3:50.43 was a championship record. Australia was second in 3:55.09.

Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist. She earned silver in the 50 free at the 2024 world championships but didn’t compete in the event at the 2024 Paris Games.

Her 50 free was the second individual world record set at the meet that includes swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and China, among others.

The U.S. men also topped Australia in the 4 x 100 medley relay. Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Luca Urlando and anchor Jack Alexy swam a championship-record time of 3:29.06.

Sam Short of Australia won the 1,500 free to go with his earlier titles in the 400 and 800 free events. His time of 14:33.97 was the sixth-fastest in history and broke Grant Hackett’s 24-year-old championship record.

“That was actually so much fun,” Short said.

Kazushi Imafuku of Japan took silver in 14:42.59 and two-time defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke earned bronze in 14:44.26 on the same day he lost his world record to Johannes Liebmann of Germany at the European championships.

The men’s 50 free was won by Jamie Jack of Australia in a championship record of 21.35. American Jack Alexy took silver in 21.42.

Yu Yiting of China defeated a strong field including world record-holder McIntosh to win the 200 individual medley.

Yu was under world-record pace on the opening butterfly leg before American Regan Smith took over the lead on the backstroke. Yu moved back in front on the breaststroke and held off McIntosh in the closing meters. Yu’s time of 2:07.45 set a championship record in the outdoor pool in Irvine.

McIntosh, the Canadian star whose lone individual victory of the week was in the 400 IM, took silver in 2:07.47. American Alex Walsh, the older sister of Gretchen Walsh, earned bronze in 2:07.66. Smith finished fourth.

McIntosh claimed silver in the 200 freestyle and bronze in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. She surprisingly failed to qualify for the 400 free championship final, but finished first in the ‘B’ final.

“It wasn’t a horrible swim, but getting touched out is something that is never a good thing to feel,” she said. “Overall, the meet didn’t go the way I wanted it to, so there’ll definitely be a lot of reflection.”

Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia went from fourth to first in the 200 breast, winning in 2:08.09. American Josh Matheny earned silver. Shin Ohashi, who led until the final 15 meters, took bronze.

In the men’s 200 IM, Tomoyuki Matushita of Japan won in 1:56.02 over American Carson Foster.

See AP’s full sports coverage here

Kate Douglass, of the United States, right, gets out of the pool after winning the women's 50 meters freestyle final with a new world record at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Kate Douglass, of the United States, competes on her way to winning the women's 50 meters freestyle final with a new world record at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Kate Douglass, of the United States, smiles after winning the women's 50 meters freestyle final with a new world record at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

From left, silver medalist Katie Ledecky, of the United States, gold medalist Lani Pallister, of Australia, and bronze medalist Erika Fairweather, of New Zealand celebrate after the the women's 400 meters freestyle final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Katie Ledecky, of the United States, competes in the women's 400 meters freestlye final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Kate Douglass, of the United States, competes in the women's 100 meters breaststroke final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Summer McIntosh, of Canada, looks on after the women's 400 meters freestlye final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Lebanon ’s Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes on a southern village have killed 12 people, including two children.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim to have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance plane. And seven crew members of a Saudi-owned tanker struck last week on the strait appear to remain unaccounted for.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Israel carried out airstrikes early Monday on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman, killing at least 12 people, including a paramedic, four women and two children, the Health Ministry said.

The strikes came during a new round of escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel's military said it struck several Hezbollah militants it accused of transferring weapons to Kfar Rumman.

The military also said it was reviewing the claim that “several uninvolved civilians were harmed” in overnight strikes across southern Lebanon, which it said were in response to Hezbollah militants launching explosive drones against soldiers in the area of the Ali Taher ridge.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels downed a Saudi armed reconnaissance aircraft on Monday in the northern part of Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement.

The aircraft was detected in Jawf province’s airspace, according to Saree, who said the aircraft belonged to neighboring Saudi Arabia and was seeking to carry out “hostile actions.”

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim. There was no immediate Saudi comment.

Saree added that over the past 24 hours, a total of three reconnaissance drones belonging to Saudi Arabia were downed, including one that was spotted Monday morning in Bayda province.

The Yemeni government armed forces said in a post on X that they targeted Houthi gatherings in Dahle province and launched 13 airstrikes targeting Houthi positions and a missile launch base in Bayda province. Other airstrikes targeted Houthi fronts in Marib province. The Houthi military didn’t address those claims.

The U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called the Houthis’ expansion of fighting across several front lines “extremely alarming” and warned of its broader impact on Yemenis.

A senior official with the United Arab Emirates says “no single state” should control the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it plans to announce a new “exclusion zone” near the waterway aimed at vessels intending to transit.

“Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said at a forum of world leaders in Abu Dhabi.

Gargash said Iran should face consequences for threatening oil tankers and commercial vessels in the strait with mines, drones or missiles. “Using an international waterway as an instrument of coercion is unacceptable,” he added.

The UAE, a close U.S. ally, has repeatedly come under Iranian missile and drone fire throughout the war. Rebuilding trust between Iran and the Gulf countries could take decades, Gargash warned, because by targeting its neighbors, Tehran has “demolished” any presumption of good faith.

Oman said it had evacuated 16 crew members from a Saudi-owned tanker attacked last week in the Strait of Hormuz. The Sidr tanker was attacked by Iran off Oman, and Saudi Arabia earlier said two Filipino seafarers were killed.

Oman’s Maritime Security ​Center said on X that 16 of the 25 crew members were rescued. It didn’t give details on the remaining seven.

If the seven are confirmed dead, that would make the attack the deadliest on a commercial vessel since the war began on Feb. 28.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Hajja mourned the death of Omar al-Toubasi, who was killed in a confrontation with Israeli settlers.

Israel’s military said in a statement that soldiers were sent to Hajja on Sunday to disperse a confrontation and fired toward Palestinians allegedly throwing stones at soldiers after warning shots. “Hits were identified,” the military said.

“The army came and made matters worse,” witness Mohammed al-Batta said, adding that settlers had started the confrontation by beating a local man. He said soldiers “started using tear gas and sound bombs at the residents. Gunfire broke out from the two sides.” He said several others were injured.

Attacks on settlers in the West Bank have surged since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.

The top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, called for the implementation of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war there, including the withdrawal of Israel’s military and the disarming of Hamas.

He also warned that rising violence in the occupied West Bank could obstruct a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Because with everything that is happening in the West Bank — and with more than 50% of Gaza now under the control of the Israeli army and less than 50% under the control of Hamas — there is no credible pathway forward to a political resolution of the conflict,” Mladenov said at the Hili Forum, a gathering of world leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

Kosovo has formalized its commitment to the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, according to the U.S.-created Board of Peace overseeing the fragile ceasefire.

The force would deploy to areas of the Palestinian territory administered by an incoming technocratic committee. While there was no information about the number of troops Kosovo would provide, a Board of Peace official said it is expected to contribute about 25 personnel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the numbers have not yet been finalized.

The statement says Kosovo security personnel have deployed at ISF headquarters for months, working on logistics, operations to clear unexploded weapons and civil affairs.

Overall committed troops to the force remain far short of the expected 20,000. Uganda, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Albania also have made commitments.

— Matthew Lee in Washington

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Omar al-Toubasi who was killed during clashes with Israeli army soldiers last night, during his funeral in the West Bank village Hajja, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Rescue workers search for victims under the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Kfar Rumman, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A boy rides a bicycle past gulls gathered along the shore of the Strait of Hormuz in Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People watch rescue workers use excavators as they search for victims under the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Kfar Rumman, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)