Chinese gold medalist swimmer responds to ‘humanly impossible’ accusation
By Ryan General
Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle has responded to Australian coach Brett Hawke’s remarks questioning the legitimacy of his record-breaking 100-meter freestyle win at the Paris Olympics. The 20-year-old swimmer‘s victory, clocking in at 46.40 seconds, not only broke his own world record but also reignited controversy amid past doping allegations against the Chinese swim team.
- Turning doubt into motivation: Hawke’s Instagram video, where he commented, “That’s not real… That’s not humanly possible,” quickly went viral on Chinese social media, drawing criticism from users who labeled him a sore loser. Pan, who has passed 21 doping tests leading up to the Games, said in an interview with Chinese media that Hawke’s doubts fueled his motivation to perform even better. “It helps. All the hostility and disparaging words from everyone can be turned into my motivation,” said the swimmer.
- Time for “peace and quiet”: Pan also recently shared his reasons for shutting down his official Weibo fan group, which had garnered over a million followers just five days after his Olympic win. In an interview with CCTV, Pan explained, “Achievements come from step-by-step training. When my performance was poor, they didn’t come to find me. But now they do, it feels really strange and awkward. I hope to keep a low profile and enjoy some peace and quiet.”
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