China Rallies Behind Olympian Pan Zhanle Amid Controversy Over Record-Breaking Swim

China's state media, athletes, and netizens are supporting Olympic swimming champion Pan Zhanle after critics questioned the legitimacy of his world-record swim. Pan Zhanle broke his own world record in the 100 metres freestyle at the Paris Olympic Games. The scrutiny follows past doping issues within the Chinese swim team.

China's state media, athletes and netizens have rallied to support Olympic swimming champion Pan Zhanle, following skepticism from critics including an Australian swim commentator who deemed his world record swim in the 100 metres freestyle as not 'humanly possible'.

Pan shattered his own record, slicing 0.40 seconds off his previous mark at the World Championships in Doha. He completed the race in 46.40 seconds, securing China's first swimming gold at the Paris Olympic Games. This achievement comes after Pan underwent rigorous, zero-positive-result doping tests both before and during the games.

The Chinese swim team faces heightened scrutiny after 23 swimmers tested positive for a banned substance in 2021, though an investigation attributed the results to kitchen contamination. Despite the controversy, Pan's name was not linked to those tests. Fellow swimmer Zhang Yufei defended Pan, questioning why Chinese athletes are scrutinized while others like Michael Phelps were not.