Australian swimmer Lani Pallister withdraws from freestyle event after testing positive for COVID
Australian swimmer Lani Pallister’s dreams of an individual Olympic medal have been crushed after she withdrew from the 1500m freestyle.
Pallister, who was due to swim in the heats on Tuesday night (AEST), pulled out after testing positive for COVID.
The 22-year-old travelled to the Paris La Defense Arena on Tuesday morning ahead of her scheduled 1500m freestyle heat swim.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But after warming up in the training pool, an off-colour Pallister decided to withdraw from the event.
It’s a shattering blow for the Pallister, who was a genuine medal hope in her debut Olympics.
She finished third in the 2022 world championships and was primed for a strong showing in Paris after withdrawing from the 400m to focus solely on the longer distance.
Pallister still hopes to compete in the 4x200m freestyle relay team on Thursday, with the Aussies are hot favourites for gold.
She also has the 800m heats on Friday.
The Sydneysider is coached by her mother Janelle Pallister, a Seoul 1988 Olympian and Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and is also the daughter of champion surf lifesaver and triathlete Rick Pallister.
Two years ago, Pallister wrote herself into the record books, becoming the first female swimmer to win three freestyle gold medals at a single short course world championships after adding the 1500 metres title to her haul.
Pallister was untouchable in the long distance race in Melbourne, lapping some of her rivals before finishing in 15 minutes 21.43 seconds - over 25 seconds clear of the field and a new Australian record.
But her path to Paris has been complicated: she has undergone surgery for supraventricular tachycardia, which can cause an irregular heartbeat, and also returned to elite swimming after being diagnosed with an eating disorder.
Her positive test follows five members of Australia’s women’s water polo squad who also contracted COVID before competition started at the Olympics.
- With AAP
