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Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke has led the criticism of Pan Zhanle’s astonishing 100m freestyle world record, calling the Chinese swimmer’s performance “not humanly possible.”
Pan, 19, clinched gold in 46.40 seconds, beating his closest competitor, Kyle Chalmers, by more than a second.
His victory marked the largest margin in the men’s 100m freestyle since Johnny Weissmuller in 1928.
However, suspicions surrounding the Chinese team have cast a shadow over his achievement.
Pan dismissed concerns about the doping controversy affecting China’s swimming team at the Paris Games, despite being implicated in an investigation by The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD.
The investigation revealed that 23 athletes at Tokyo 2020 failed drug tests for a banned heart medication, with 11 of these athletes competing in the current Olympics.
Additionally, two athletes tested positive for a strong anabolic steroid in 2022, allegedly due to contaminated meat.
In an animated Instagram video, Hawke expressed disbelief at Pan’s performance, stating it was “not real” and beyond anything he had encountered in his three decades of coaching. “I’m just going to be honest, I am angry at that swim,” said Hawke, without directly addressing the recent allegations of Chinese doping cover-ups involving multiple swimmers, though not Pan himself.
Hawke, who competed for Australia in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, explained, “You don’t win the 100m freestyle by a body length against that field. It’s not possible.”
He added, “I’ve studied this sport for 30 years. I’m an expert in speed. You don’t beat swimmers like Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, and Jack Alexy by one full body length in 100m freestyle. It’s not humanly possible.”
The controversy escalated as Australian broadcaster Neil Mitchell accused China of basing its Olympic swimming campaigns on cheating. “The Chinese system is designed around cheating,” Mitchell claimed on Australian TV show Sunrise, highlighting the 23 athletes under suspicion at Tokyo and the 11 in Paris.
Tensions flared at Paris’s La Défense Arena when Pan accused Chalmers and Alexy of disrespecting him and splashing his coach with water.
China’s anti-doping agency accused The New York Times of attempting to sabotage their Olympic campaign. “On the first day, after the 4×100 relay, I greeted Chalmers, but he ignored me,” Pan told China Central Television.
He also alleged that Alexy splashed water on the Chinese coaches during training, suggesting it was a deliberate act of disrespect.