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.

American star Katie Ledecky won her seventh world title in the women’s 800-meter freestyle on Saturday, fending off the challenges of Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh and Australia’s Lani Pallister.

American Katie Ledecky continued domination of the women's 800 meters freestyle with a brilliant swim to win gold.