FLASH!!! Paris Olympics, Day 5 Finals: China's Pan Zhanle Blasts ...

FLASH!!! Paris Olympics, Day 5 Finals: China’s Pan Zhanle Shreds World Record in 100 Freestyle

The storylines surrounding the final of the men’s 100-meter freestyle at the Olympic Games in Paris were exactly what is expected of a marquee event. They were compelling. They had historical significance. They connected with the fans. Really, they conspired to offer the perfect amount of drama inside La Defense Arena.

For proof:

Australian Kyle Chalmers was chasing a third consecutive medal to go with his gold from the 2016 Games and silver from the 2020 Games. Only two men – Duke Kahanamoku (1912/1920/1924) and Alexander Popov (1992/1996/2000) – have accomplished the feat. Romanian David Popovici was looking to complement his earlier victory in the 200 freestyle with a title at half that distance. The last male swimmer to pull that feat was Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband in 2000. Maxime Grousset had the overwhelming support of the home crowd as he sought to become just the second Frenchman to win gold in the 100 freestyle. Alain Bernard won the event at the 1998 Games in Beijing. World-record holder Pan Zhanle of China was attempting to become the first Asian male to secure gold in the 100 freestyle in 92 years. Japan’s Yasuji Miyazaki previously prevailed at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Jack Alexy was looking to become the 13th different American to grab gold in the event, joining the likes of legends such as Johnny Weissmuller, Don Schollander, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, among others.

Still, no one expected a performance that was the most dominant of the meet. Racing to the front of the field off the start, China’s Pan obliterated the field en route to breaking his own world record. Pan touched the wall in an eye-deceiving mark of 46.40, which sliced .40 off the record he set at the World Championships in Doha earlier this year, and handed him a 1.08-second margin of victory.

The battle for the silver medal was a three-man battle that saw second through fourth separated by a mere .02. At the touch, it was Chalmers who took silver, doing so for the second straight Games, and confirming his status as a legend in the company of Kahanamoku and Popov. Chalmers registered a time of 47.48, which was .01 quicker than the 47.49 of Popovici. Falling just shy of the podium was Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth, who went 47.50.

The global standard by Pan was the first of the meet, arriving in the last event of Night Five. The Chinese star’s time signified the largest world-record drop in the event since 1976, when South African Jonty Skinner took .55 off the mark of American Jim Montgomery. At that time, Skinner clocked 49.44 to break the record of 49.99, set by Montgomery in his gold-medal swim at the Olympic Games in Montreal.

Pan left no doubt from the start that he owned the race, as he turned at the midway point in 22.28, good for a .33 edge on Grousset and just .02 off his world-record split. The difference from his original world record and this moment was on the back end, where Pan split 24.12 – compared to his homecoming effort of 24.54 in Doha. Pan was confident his training would allow him to press the pace on the opening lap and still produce the best closing speed in the field.

“For me, I don’t think (a world record/gold medal) means a lot because life continues,” Pan said. “For China, I think the gold medal means a lot because this is the first time the Chinese (broke) a world record in these Games, so I think this is something we need to feel happy about.”

Set to turn 20 years old next week, Pan has been a factor on the international scene since 2022, when he won gold at the Asian Games in the 100 freestyle and reached the podium in the 50 free, 200 free and 400 free. Although his ability over two laps has defined his career, Pan has the greatest range of any freestyler on the planet. He is a sub-22 performer in the 50 freestyle, has been mid-1:44 in the 200 free and 3:46 in the 400 free. He has also been sub-8:00 in the 800 freestyle.

Given the amount of time lopped off the previous world record and the recent Chinese doping scandal that rocked the sport, questions will be raised about Pan’s performance. Earlier this year, investigative reporting by the New York Times and ARD, a German broadcaster, revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive ahead of the Tokyo Olympics for the banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ). However, the athletes were cleared of wrongdoing when anti-doping officials accepted the argument that the positive tests were linked to contamination of the kitchen from which the swimmers were fed.

Because those positive tests were not released, controversy has brewed concerning the lack of transparency of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and top athletes – including Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel – have expressed a lack of faith in the anti-doping establishment. It’s key to note that Pan was not one of the 23 athletes who tested positive ahead of Tokyo, and Chalmers and Popovici each voiced confidence that Pan achieved his world record and Olympic title through talent and hard work.

Pan addressed the doping issue, noting that he is comfortable with routine testing.

“Last year, I received 29 tests, and it has never been positive,” he said. “From May to July, it has been 21 tests, and it has never been positive. I don’t think there’s any impact because the testing has been done within the timeframe. I think it’s normal procedure. Nothing big.”

The effort Pan packaged at La Defense Arena was powerful, as dominant as any performance delivered during the Games. Via his world record, Pan left the field basically competing in a secondary race, and the crowd assured of what they’ve been seeking for several days – a world record.

The jockeying for the silver medal came down to the closing lap and a battle between two men known for their closing skill – Chalmers and Popovici. They needed every bit of their finishing prowess, as Chalmers was eighth at the halfway point in 23.03, with Popovici just a position ahead in seventh, off a split of 22.94. Down the last length, Chalmers split 24.45, with Popovici going 24.55. Those splits allowed the pair to eclipse Nemeth, who was fifth at the turn.

“It’s crazy,” Chalmers said. “I did everything I possibly could to execute an amazing race and swimming the race the last 15 meters, breathing toward him, I thought I could be dead last because he was so far ahead of me. So it was quite challenging knowing where I was, and I’m a person that swims with my eyes closed, just to be able to stick to my own race plan. And for him to produce a 46.4 and to break the world record in the Olympic final is incredible, compared to yesterday going 48.4 in the heat and almost missing it. It’s great that he’s able to reset and refocus and swim so fast tonight.”

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