Chinese world record-breaker Pan Zhanle accuses US rival of splashing coach amid doping row

Pan strongly criticized critics of Chinese swimming following an impressive showing in the 100m freestyle final on Wednesday evening.

Chinese pool athlete Pan Zhanle claimed that his competitors were disrespecting him by splashing his coach with water. Meanwhile, the nation's anti-doping agency criticized the New York Times for allegedly attempting to undermine their efforts for the upcoming Olympics.

During an exciting evening at Paris' La Defense Arena, Pan achieved Olympic 100m freestyle gold with an impressive world record swim. However, the Chinese swimming team's actions raised doubts, leading to a dispute with Australian competitor Kyle Chalmers and American athlete Jack Alexy.

Pan expressed that he wasn't bothered by the doping controversy affecting China's swimmers at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This comes after it was revealed that 23 athletes tested positive for a banned heart medication during Tokyo 2020, with 11 still competing in the current Olympics. Additionally, two athletes were cleared after testing positive for an anabolic steroid in 2022, which was attributed to contaminated meat.

Pan, a swimmer who was not implicated in a recent investigation by the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD, achieved an impressive time of 46.40 seconds at La Defense Arena. This shaved 0.40 seconds off his previous world record, which was set at the World Championships in Doha back in February. Pan's accomplishment also earned China its first gold medal in swimming at the event.

However, after the incident at the pool on Wednesday, Pan claimed that his competitors were treating him unfairly. The Chinese athlete accused Australian silver medalist Kyle Chalmers of intentionally ignoring him and American swimmer Jack Alexy of intentionally splashing water at his coach.

Pan told China Central Television that on the initial day of the 4x100 relay, once we completed swimming, he greeted Chalmers. However, Chalmers completely ignored him.

"When Alexy from the American team was participating in training sessions, it appeared as though he was intentionally showing off and disrespecting our coaches by splashing water in their direction. It seemed like he thought he was better than the rest of us. Is it okay for me to bring this up?"

Chalmers was caught off guard by Pan's critique and exposed that Pan had openly referred to him as an "idol" to his face.

"During the world championships final last year, I vividly recall walking out and noticing that he was standing beside me. To my surprise, he approached me and expressed his admiration, saying, 'Kyle, I have a great deal of respect for you. You are my role model'."

Once more tonight, following the race, I praised him and he told me, 'You are my role model'. I view him as I would any other rival.

Although Pan did not respond to the doping allegations in China, the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (Chinada) decided to retaliate against new claims that two athletes from Paris 2024 had failed drug tests in 2022 but were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Chinada accused the New York Times of politicizing doping controversies and attempting to influence the mindset of Chinese athletes.

Chinada stated that it abides by anti-doping rules and criticized the New York Times as being biased and unethical.

Chinada stated on Wednesday that the main goal of The New York Times is to cause chaos in the Paris Olympic swimming competition, impact the mentality of Chinese athletes, and reduce their performance level.

"This is really unjust and unethical."

The New York Times spokesperson replied saying, "We believe in the truthfulness of our articles."

China's swimming team has been closely examined since it was revealed in April that 23 of their swimmers had tested positive for a prohibited heart medication in 2021. Despite this, they were still permitted to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, sparking controversy and scrutiny.

The World Anti-Doping Agency agreed with the results of a Chinese inquiry that the positive test results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen. An independent examination supported Wada's actions in this case. A review by the World Aquatics organization determined there was no mishandling or concealment by the governing body.

Pan stated that he has been regularly visited by testers checking for doping, even on the day he broke the world record. He emphasized that he has always passed these tests without any issues.

"I put all my efforts into achieving the top outcome. I was amazed when I found out I had broken the world record – it was truly a special moment," Pan shared with reporters with the help of a translator.

"Since last year, I have taken a total of 29 tests and all of them have come back negative. Between the months of May and July, I had 21 tests and none of them were positive. Today, I already took my second test."

I don't believe there has been any effect on me as the testing has been carried out in the regular way. Therefore, it is not a significant concern.

He continued, "The testing was completed in accordance with all regulations, so I believe there was no discrepancy or impact."

Chalmers was amazed by Pan's performance and was questioned afterwards about the remarkable time, which was 0.4 seconds faster than his current world record.

"I give it my all to come out on top in the race. I believe that everyone is putting in the same effort as me and upholding the values of fair play and honesty in sports," stated Chalmers.

He said, "It's insane. In the final stretch, I thought I might come in last place because he was so far ahead of me."

I believe he has put in his best effort to be present and he deserves the gold medal. I also gave my all to compete for the gold medal and stand on the highest platform. I may have won silver, but I am just as satisfied with that result.

Just a while back, the fastest time in the world was 46.9 seconds.

"I'm thrilled as a fan of swimming, and it's going to motivate me to push myself even further in my training."

Pan's gold medal was the initial of five medals won by the Chinese swim team. They also secured silver medals from male backstroker Xu Jiayu and Tang Qianting, who came in second in the women's 100m breaststroke event.

Zhang Yufei, who was mentioned in news articles as part of a group of 23 athletes, won third place in the women's 100m butterfly competition. This came after she won second place in Tokyo and first place in the 200m event three years ago.

Pan downplayed the importance of his record-breaking swim in his personal life. Nevertheless, he emphasized the significance of his achievement and the gold medal for his country, China.

"I put in a lot of effort to achieve the best possible outcome. To my astonishment, I ended up breaking the world record and it was a truly extraordinary moment," shared Pan.

To me, the gold medal doesn't hold much significance as life goes on. However, for China, winning the gold medal is a big deal because it marks the first time they have ever broken a world record at this event. This is definitely something that they should be proud of.

"The Chinese team's flawless performance was a breath of fresh air for everyone, allowing us to showcase our talents."