Pan Zhanle at the medal ceremony Photo: Xinhua

 
"Today, I beat them all," said China's Pan Zhanle after he broke his own world record to clinch gold in the 100m freestyle on Wednesday at the Paris2024 Olympic Games.

This marked the first time a Chinese athlete has won gold in the men's 100m freestyle at an Olympic Games. It was also the first gold medal for the Chinese swimming team at the Paris Games. 

The ground-breaking victory produced a powerful riposte to the doubts and disregard that overshadowed the Chinese swimming team in Paris. 

Shaving off his own previous record of 46.80 seconds set in Doha World Aquatics Championships in February, Pan stormed to victory in 46.40 seconds, more than a second ahead of Australian silver medalist Kyle Chalmers, while Romania's David Popovici claimed bronze. 

Pan said that he felt snubbed by Chalmers and American sprinter Jack Alexy during the 4×100m freestyle relay on Saturday, when he broke the Olympic record in the final with his 46.92 leadoff.

"I went to say hello to Kyle and he ignored me. While we were training, Jack splashed water to our coaches who stood on the side of the pool while he was doing a flip turn. I felt like they looked down upon us," Pan told the CCTV News.

"He (Pan) deserves that gold medal, and I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal and be on the top podium," said Chalmers after the final.

In response to a question by the New York Times about the impact of the doping suspicions and frequent doping tests on the team's performance, Pan said that despite the many tests, they had never tested positive and remained unaffected by the scrutiny.

"Last year, I underwent 29 tests, and not once did I test positive. This year, from May to July, I had 21 tests, and again, not a single positive result. Today I had my second test here, which is an in-competition test. We'll see what the results are," he said.

"I defeated all of them, and breaking the world record in such a challenging pool. This is a great start for the Chinese swimming team. I never expected to break the world record. I was just focused on sprinting ahead from the start," said the 19-year-old from East China's Zhejiang Province. 

Gold medallist Pan Zhanle takes a selfie with supporters following the men's 100-meter freestyle swimming event at the Paris Olympic Games on July 31, 2024. Photo: VCG

The provincial government of Zhejiang sent a congratulatory letter on Thursday, saying Pan broke the long-standing monopoly of European and American athletes on the men's 100m freestyle event, showcasing Chinese team's strength and speed. 

"The people of Zhejiang feel proud of him. Pan Zhanle's excellent performance is attributed to the meticulous training provided by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese swimming team. We express our heartfelt gratitude," the letter reads. 

A post by Pan on his Sina Weibo account reads: "I'm not fighting alone. The whole Chinese team stands behind me. I felt everyone's expectations on me at the very moment before I took the plunge. This gold medal is dedicated to our great motherland!"

His history-making performance ignited heated discussions on Chinese social media as throngs of netizens left congratulatory messages.

"The new world record is a miracle. It's a slap on the face of those who cast doubts on the Chinese swimming team," said one Weibo user.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese divers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan underlined China's dominance in diving, by winning the women's synchronized 10m platform with a clear lead. 

This is the third gold medal for the Chinese diving team in the Paris Olympics, following the wins in the women's synchronized 3m springboard and the men's synchronized 10m platform.