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Meredith Chen

Ira Gorawara

Three days ahead of his 20th birthday, Pan Zhanle of China produced a swim at the Paris Olympics that catapulted him to Olympic gold and international attention.
Pan smashed his own world record in the 100 metres freestyle, his time of 46.40 seconds at Paris La Defense Arena destroying his previous best of 46.8, set in February.
Some were reluctant to believe their eyes – “not humanly possible”, an Australian coach said – but Pan has made a habit of confounding expectation.
That February mark came at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, in the 4x100m freestyle relay leadoff leg, and two months later Pan went under the 47-second barrier again at China’s national championships, clocking 46.97.

Hailing from Wenzhou, in the eastern Zhejiang province, the man who would later be dubbed China’s “flying fish” developed a gift for swimming early in life.
Outstanding fitness earned him a spot in the Wenzhou Youth Swimming School’s talent class at the age of four.
“Once I started swimming, I couldn’t stop,” he said. “Not only did I quickly learn all four strokes … but also the more I practised, the more addicted I became.”
Pan often credited his grandfather as a mentor through his early swimming career.
“He would take me to training in the morning, and then pick me up after training. Rain or shine, he was always there,” Pan said.
And Pan’s grandfather spotted a champion in Pan long before the world did. “He is hardworking and has the spirit of a fighter, so he grows up faster,” he told Chinese media.
Aged 10, Pan made a splash with seven gold medals in five days during the 2014 Zhejiang Provincial Games.
Talking about his future goals, he said swimming “faster than Sun Yang is good enough”, referring to the three-time Olympic champion.
Fast forward nine years and Pan became just the third Chinese man to clinch an individual swimming gold at the Games – joining elite company in Sun Yang and Wang Shun.
There were bumps along the way. The now Olympic champion was saddled with the tag “spectator in the stands” on social media, coined by Pan himself.
He adopted the self-deprecating Weibo username during his international debut at the 2021 short-course (25m) world championships in Abu Dhabi, where he did not reach the final in his individual event.
Displeased with his relocation to the stands, Pan drove himself harder still. “I must swim well and shed this ‘dishonourable’ name,” he later said.
His commitment was such that, whereas most swimmers’ mistakes or shortcomings would lead coaches to impose harder training, Pan’s coach would instead reduce his training as a form of discipline.
“I would punish him by not allowing him to get in the pool, and he would feel really uncomfortable,” Pan’s former coach Wang Shi told Chinese media. “He just really loves swimming.”
In 2023, Pan made his move. He broke the Asian record in the men’s 100m freestyle at the Chinese national championships with a time of 47.22, a mark he then beat again at that year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, with 46.97.
That made him the first swimmer to go under 22 seconds in the 50m freestyle, sub-47 in the 100m and inside one minute 45 seconds in the 200m.
Pan had resolved, however, not to chase times for their own sake and to focus on seizing the day.

“Achievement of records does not necessarily put the China team on the podium, but we cannot be cowards anyway,” he said in Doha this year after the relay team broke the world record. “You just have to dare to think and dare to fight.”
In 2022, American swimming coach Mark Schubert suggested during a stint working in China that Pan switch to the individual medley, on the basis that Chinese swimmers were unlikely to beat those of other nations as 100m freestyle specialists.
His verdict seemed to act as a challenge to Pan.
“I’m rebellious by nature,” Pan replied to Schubert after Doha, showing him his gold medal. “The more others doubt my abilities, the more determined I am to prove them wrong.”


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Pan Zhanle: Paris Olympics record-breaking swimmer who stands up to US, Australian rivals

China’s Pan Zhanle clutches his gold medal on the podium in Paris. Photo: dpa

Pan Zhanle warms up before the race in which he broke the world record at the La Defense Arena. Photo: AFP

Pan Zhanle celebrates his victory and world record in the Olympic 100m freestyle final. Photo: Xinhua

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Zhang Yufei on the podium for the third time at the Paris Games on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Yufei enters the La Defense Arena as she prepares to race at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Yufei in full flight as she swims butterfly, the stroke for which she is renowned. Photo: AFP

Zhang Yufei leaves the pool after swimming in her 200m butterfly semi-final in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

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Zheng Qinwen celebrates her semi-final victory over Iga Swiatek. Photo: Xinhua

Zheng Qinwen lies on the court celebrating her win. Photo: Xinhua

Zheng Qinwen’s win sent her into Saturday’s final. Photo: Xinhua

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Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey at the Champions Park at Trocadero in Paris. Photo: AFP

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Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

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China

The 100 metres freestyle world record-holder is so in love with swimming, his coach used to punish his mistakes by denying him pool time


The 100 metres freestyle world record-holder is so in love with swimming, his coach used to punish his mistakes by denying him pool time.


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Profile | Pan Zhanle: Paris Olympics record-breaking swimmer who stands up to US, Australian rivals

The 100 metres freestyle world record-holder is so in love with swimming, his coach used to punish his mistakes by denying him pool time