Chinese Swimmer Pan Zhanle Faces International Criticism Amid Record-Breaking Feat

Chinese Olympic swimmer Pan Zhanle has garnered international attention after critics, including an Australian commentator, questioned the legitimacy of his record-breaking 100 metres freestyle swim. Pan, who completed rigorous doping tests prior to the event, broke his own previous world record. China's netizens and media have robustly defended him against the allegations.

Chinese Olympic swimmer Pan Zhanle is at the center of a controversy following his world record-breaking performance in the 100 metres freestyle. Australian swim commentator Brett Hawke, among others, claimed the feat was not 'humanly possible.' Pan finished the race in 46.40 seconds at the Paris Olympic Games, breaking his own record and securing China's first swimming gold medal of the event.

Amid the criticism, Chinese state media and netizens rallied in support of Pan, emphasizing his clean doping record. 'I cooperated with all the testing procedures and stayed confident that I am competing fair and clean,' Pan told China Daily. He revealed he underwent 21 doping tests from May to July with zero positive results. Hawke's comments, widely shared on China's Weibo platform, were met with strong rebuttals from Chinese fans.

The controversy comes after a separate incident where 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance in 2021. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and an independent review concluded that the results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen and not deliberate doping. Pan's name was not among those implicated. During a press conference, teammate Zhang Yufei echoed public sentiment, questioning why Chinese athletes often face more scrutiny than their international counterparts.

(With inputs from agencies.)