On the fifth day of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Chinese swimming team finally secured their first gold medal of the Games after winning two silver and two bronze medals. The first world record in swimming at these Games was set at the La Défense Arena in Paris.
In the Men's 100m Freestyle Final , held in the early hours of August 1st (Beijing time), Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle won gold with a time of 46.40 seconds, breaking his previous world record of 46.80 seconds. Australian's Kyle Chalmers took silver with a time of 47.48 seconds, followed by Romania's David Popovici in the bronze-medal position with a time of 47.49 seconds. Winning an Olympic final by more than a second and smashing the world record in a pool not known for fast times speaks volumes about the significance of Pan's victory.
Following Pan's record-breaking win, the website of World Aquatics praised his performance, noting that the men's 100m freestyle record is one of the hardest to break. Since 1988, the world record has only improved by 1.62 seconds. For those who have been following Pan Zhanle, the new world record was not unexpected, although it came sooner than anticipated.
The Men's 100m Freestyle has been a staple Olympic event since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, where Hungary's Alfred Hajos won gold with a time of 1'22''02. Historically, this event has been dominated by swimmers from Europe and the Americas, with only brief appearances by Asian athletes.
In 2015, at the 16th FIAN World Championships in Kazan , Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao became the first Asian to reach the final of the Men's 100m Freestyle, winning gold with a time of 47.84 seconds. Before Ning's victory, no Asian swimmer had ever reached the top eight in the 100m freestyle at the Olympics or World Championships, let alone won a medal.
After Ning Zetao's retirement, Chinese swimmers struggled to make significant strides in the Men's 100m Freestyle until Pan Zhanle swam a time of 47.65 seconds at the 2022 World Athletics Championships , equaling Ning's national record and came within 0.09 seconds of the Asian record. Pan soon broke the record and continued to improve, culminating in his Olympic triumph.
Pan's meteoric rise has sent shockwaves through the swimming world. His time of 46.40 seconds left everyone astonished, akin to Usain Bolt's 9.58-second 100m dash on the track. In this race to be the fastest swimmer on Earth, Pan's 1.08-second lead over the runner-up was extraordinary.
On this night, Pan achieved not only a Chinese miracle but also a global one. He became the first Chinese male swimmer to win an Olympic gold in the 100m Freestyle and the first Asian to do so in Olympic history.
Source: Yangcheng Evening News
