Ledecky, trailing McIntosh at the 700-meter mark, surged ahead on the final lap, fending off a hard-charging Pallister as McIntosh faded in the closing meters. With the win, Ledecky remained undefeated in the 800-meter freestyle finals event on the world stage dating back to 2012.

Australian Cameron McEvoy and Brit Ben Proud went one-two in the men's 50m free, repeating their finishes from the Olympics. American Jack Alexy added bronze to his 100m free silver. Summer McIntosh crossed an ocean and took up a new sport that helped her have one of the best swim meets in history.