Aussie swimmer defies the odds to qualify for Paris Olympics after secret battle with a life-threatening eating disorder and heart surgery

Aussie swimmer Lani Pallister has overcome an eating disorder and heart surgery to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games on the opening night of the Olympic swimming trials.

Pallister, 22, touched the wall second in 4:02.27 behind Ariarne Titmus in the women's 400-m freestyle final, bettering the Olympic qualification time set by Swimming Australia.

'I don't want to cry on camera,' she said.

'I was thinking about three years ago (Tokyo Olympic trials) all through today. I didn't think I would be here three years ago and now I'm going to my first Olympics.

'I'm just incredibly grateful.

'I just want to try to find her (mum) to give her a hug before I started crying.

'I'm just so grateful for all they've done for me and I can't wait to continue the family legacy in Paris this year.'

Pallister had tried to make the Olympic team in 2021 for the Tokyo Games but was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia - a heart condition that causes an elevated or irregular heartbeat.

She was also privately battling an eating disorder, living off just two meals a day and becoming obsessive about comparing her physique to other swimmers. 

'I can't really put it into words. When I quit swimming three years ago to where I am now ... incredible,' said Pallister.

'It is something I have spoken about every day for three years. If you had told me three years ago I would be standing here I would not believe you.

'I still can't believe I thought having one, maybe two meals a day was going to allow me to be an athlete.

'It is such an important thing to talk about. The only reason I ended up saying something to my mum was because of Emily Seebohm.

'Having a more experienced athlete in my life that went through something similar helped. Eating disorders come with a lot of shame. You kind of know you are doing the wrong thing. It's not a healthy coping mechanism.

'It is something you have to deal with for the rest of your life but I have a great support system around me.'

Pallister mother, former Olympic swimmer and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Janelle Pallister, thought her daughter might quit the sport for good.

'I actually asked her to sort of just have a good think about it [quitting swimming] because it wasn't really worth the pain that she was going through,' Janelle told Nine in 2022.

'She was determined to come back and she's come back with a vengeance.'