Gold medalist Pan Zhanle (center) of China, silver medalist Kyle Chalmers (left) of Australia and bronze medalist David Popovici of Romania pose during the victory ceremony for the men's 100m freestyle of swimming at Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on July 31, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

The "emotional entanglement" between Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle and Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers during the ongoing Paris Olympics, which began with a misunderstanding but ended in friendship, has captured the attention of Chinese netizens over the past few days.

The story started when Chalmers did not acknowledge Pan's greeting before the men's 100 meters freestyle swimming competition, which Pan interpreted as "deliberate."

In a subsequent media interview, after Pan broke his own world record to win gold in the men's 100 meters freestyle, he expressed disappointment that Chalmers did not respond to his attempt at friendliness. Pan also remarked that some foreign swimmers lacked respect for Chinese athletes and coaching staff.

Pan's comments quickly went viral on Chinese social media, leading many netizens to criticize Chalmers for his perceived bad manners and arrogance.

Chalmers later clarified that he had not seen Pan's greeting and reached out to him personally afterward. He also sent a private apology to Pan, who responded positively by exchanging swim caps with Chalmers.

Chalmers shared photos on social media of the exchanged swim caps, including Pan's, and their handshake. They also exchanged contact information, and Pan said he is looking forward to showing Chalmers around Shanghai, the first stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 in October.

Global Times