Pan slams ‘disrespectful’ rivals, China fans lash out at ‘arrogant’ Westerners (2024)

Chinese fans have leapt to the defence of new 100m freestyle world-record holder Pan Zhanle, after a rival coach called his performance impossible, and the swimmer said his opponents from the United States and Australia had been “disrespectful”.

Social media users in China quickly rounded on “arrogant Westerners” and said it was “so satisfying to see their superiority complex smashed”.

The 19-year-old claimed gold in Paris by shattering his own world record in 46.40 seconds, faster than his previous best of 46.80 seconds, set in February. He finished more than a second ahead of the field.

Following the success, he highlighted the poor treatment his team had received, primarily from Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, who took silver, and US’ Jack Alexey, who was seventh.

While Brett Hawke, an elite swimming coach, raised suspicions over the manner of the victory, with a post on his Instagram page which read: “That swim was not real life. Not in that pool, not against that field.”

“On the first day, during the 4×100m relay, I greeted Chalmers, but he completely ignored me, and even Alexey from the American team was dismissive,” he said. “During training, when our coach was on the side, they would splash water directly on him with their flips, which felt quite disrespectful.

“Today, we finally defeated all of them and broke the world record in such a challenging pool. It was an excellent performance and a great start for the Chinese team.”

Chalmers clocked 47.48 seconds winning silver, with Alexey coming in seventh with a time of 47.96.

“I believe that the general public in the West is simply unaware of China and that they mean no harm, but I no longer hold out hope that the West will treat us with dignity and equality. Being ignorant and arrogant will cost you dearly,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“Not only is the American petty, but they’ve also blackened China’s swimming team to an extreme and are even advocating for the cancellation of China’s Olympic participation. I have to admit now, when it comes to shamelessness, no one compares to the US,” another commented on social media Red, also known as Xiaohongshu.

While a Weibo user wrote: “White people only respect you when you are better than them.”

The tension between China and the US has heightened following strong criticism from the United States Anti-Doping Association towards the World Anti-Doping Association after the revelation 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance were freed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

On Wednesday, China’s anti-doping agency accused The New York Times, who were among the outlets to disclose information regarding the failed tests to the public, of politicising doping issues and said they were trying to “affect the mental state” of Chinese athletes and “weaken their competitive abilities”.

And speaking after the race, Chalmers said he was confident there was no foul play.

“I do everything I possibly can to win the race and I trust that everyone’s doing the same as I am and staying true to sport and the integrity of sport,” he said. “So yeah, I trust it, I trust that he’s done everything he possibly can to be there and he deserves that gold medal.”

Pan also defended his record, highlighting how often he has had to undergo testing.

“Last year I was tested 29 times, not a single one was positive. This year between May and July, I was tested 21 times, also none came out positive. I was tested twice at the Olympics, we can look forward to the results,” he said at a press briefing after the medal ceremony.

It was the first swimming gold for the Chinese delegation in Paris following earlier defeats for favourites Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang.

And Pan’s glory has attracted widespread praise on social media site Weibo.

“One can only imagine how tough it has been for the swimming team in Paris, facing rumours, discrimination and isolation, with multiple doping tests in a single day,” one user commented. “Securing the gold medal is truly relieving; in the face of absolute strength, everything else fades into insignificance.”

“At 19 years old, Pan Zhanle broke through and led the way, ending the long-standing dominance of European and American athletes in the men’s 100 metres freestyle gold medal! A proud moment and a great relief for many of us!” another added.

“Congratulations! Thank you for stepping up during a challenging time for the Chinese swim team,” another said.

“In the face of doubt and injustice, he faced them openly with a stable mindset, and used his capabilities to slap them in the face,” another comment read.

While a different user wrote: “19-years-old is the best age to be vengeful and be so straightforward and act with gusto.”

“An accountable Gen Z that is brave enough to walk the walk,” another Weibo user praised.