Pan shatters world record to claim Olympic gold
China’s Pan Zhanle produced a stunning performance to claim gold and break his own world record in the men’s 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old touched the wall in a blistering 46.40 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 46.80 he set in Doha earlier this year. The victory marks China’s first swimming gold of the Paris Games.
Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, the 2016 Olympic champion, took silver, while Romania’s David Popovici claimed bronze.
Pan’s triumph was a significant boost for the Chinese swimming team, which has faced disappointment in the pool so far.
“I was very surprised that I broke the record, it was a magical moment,” said Pan, who narrowly qualified for the final. “China is improving step by step. Breaking this record is a small step in the right direction.”
Chalmers, who had hoped to reclaim the Olympic title, admitted to the disappointment of finishing second again.
“You look at Rio and I think I was so young and naive and didn’t know what it meant to be an Olympian or to be an Olympic champion,” he said. “Eight years later, it means so much more to me to be able to stand on the podium and receive a silver medal.”
Pan’s victory writes his name into the history books as the first Chinese swimmer to hold the world record and win Olympic gold in the blue riband event. Popovici, meanwhile, added bronze to his 200m freestyle gold from earlier in the Games.
(Source: AFP)
