| Pan Zhanle | |
| National Team: | China |
| Birth Date: | 4 August 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China |
| Club: | Zhejiang Province Swim Team |
| Height: | 189 cm |
| Strokes: | Freestyle |
Pan Zhanle (Chinese: link=no|潘展乐, born 4 August 2004) is a Chinese freestyle swimmer, Olympic champion, and current world record holder of the 100 metre freestyle event. In 2023, Pan became the first swimmer in history to have all three achievements of reaching sub-22 seconds in the 50 metre freestyle, sub-47 seconds in the 100 metre freestyle, and sub-1:45 in the 200 metre freestyle. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, he won gold in the 100 metre freestyle, breaking his own world record in the process.
In 2019 at 15 years old, Pan made his first major competition debut at the 2019 Chinese Summer LC Swimming Championships. He competed in the 1500 metre freestyle, winning with a time of 15:33.48.[1]
At the 2020 Chinese Olympic Team Trials, Pan placed second in the finals of the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 48.74 seconds, finishing just 0.03 seconds behind He Junyi. He also competed in the 200 and 400 metre freestyle events.
In 2021, Pan competed at the Chinese Summer Nationals and National Games of China. In both competitions, he competed in the 50, 100, and 400 metre freestyle events. At the National Games, he finished third in the 100 metre freestyle with a personal best time of 48.59 seconds.
At the age of 17, Pan made his international debut at the 2021 FINA SC World Championships. He swam in the 200, 400, and 800 metre freestyle relay events, helping China place fifth in all three events. Individually, Pan finished eleventh in the semifinals of the 100 metre freestyle.
The following year, Pan finished tied sixth in the 100 metre freestyle at the 2022 FINA SC World Championships in Melbourne. With a time of 45.77 seconds, he became the Asian record holder in this short course event.
In May 2023, Pan competed in the 100 metre long course freestyle at the Chinese National Championships, breaking the Asian record with a time of 47.22 seconds, which was 0.34 seconds faster than the previous record.[2]
Pan first broke the 47-second barrier for the long course 100m freestyle at the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), where he finished with a time of 46.97 seconds, becoming the fifth man in history to achieve this milestone.[3] During the games, he also became the first swimmer in history to have all three achievements of reaching sub-22 seconds in the 50 metre freestyle, sub-47 seconds in the 100 metre freestyle, and sub-1:45 in the 200 metre freestyle.[4]
On 16 February 2024, Pan won the 100 metre freestyle at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. A few days prior, he set a new 100 metre freestyle world record with a time of 46.80.[5]
At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Pan won gold in the 100 metre freestyle. With a time of 46.40 seconds, he broke his own world record in the process. His margin of victory, 1.08 seconds, was the largest in this event since the 1928 Olympics, and his 0.40-second improvement on the world record was the biggest leap since 1976.[6] In the men’s 4x100 meters medley final, Pan's performance helped the Chinese team win the gold medal, delivering the first defeat to the United States in this event since it was included in the Olympic program at the 1960 Olympics.[7] As the anchor leg, he entered the water with his team in third place but overtook the swimmers from the United States and France in the final 100 meters, finishing with the fastest split in history in the men’s 100 m freestyle, clocking a 45.92, and securing the winning time of 3:27.46; beating the previous world's fastest split-time set by Jason Lezak's 46.06 anchor leg swim in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics while using the high-tech swimsuit.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
According to a Weibo post from Pan on February 29, 2024, his height is currently 189.5 cm, and his arm span is 190.5 cm.[12]
| Event | Time | Meet | Date | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 21.92 | 2022 Asian Games | September 25, 2023 | ||
| 100 m freestyle | 46.40 | 2024 Paris Olympics | July 31, 2024 | WR | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:44.65 | 2023 Chinese National Swimming Championships | May 4, 2023 | ||
| 400 m freestyle | 3:46.40 | 2023 Chinese National Swimming Championships | May 6, 2023 | ||
| 800 m freestyle | 7:59.15 | 2023 Chinese National Swimming Championships | May 5, 2023 | ||
| 1500 m freestyle | 15:33.48 | 2019 Chinese Summer National Swimming Championships | June 14, 2019 | ||
| 50 m butterfly | 25.90 | 2023 Chinese Spring National Swimming Championships | March 19, 2023 | ||
| 100 m butterfly | 1:01.87 | 2019 Asian Age Group Championships | September 25, 2019 | ||
| 200 m individual medley | 2:02.99 | 2020 Chinese National Swimming Championships | October 1, 2020 | ||
| 400 m individual medley | 4:34.40 | 2019 Asian Age Group Championships | September 25, 2019 |
| Event | Time | Meet | Date | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 21.54 | 2022 Chinese National Championships | October 27, 2022 | ||
| 100 m freestyle | 45.77 | 2022 World Championships | December 15, 2022 | AS | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:42.66 | 2022 Chinese National Swimming Championships | October 29, 2022 | ||
| 100 m individual medley | 53.10 | 2022 Chinese National Swimming Championships | October 27, 2022 |
| No. | Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Age | Type | Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 m freestyle | 47.22 | 2023 Chinese Championships | Hangzhou, China | 1 May 2023 | 18 | AS (not ratified) | Former | [14] | ||
| 2 | 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:11.38 (47.67, 1st leg) | 2023 World Aquatics Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 23 July 2023 | 18 | AS | Former | [15] | ||
| 3 | 4×100m medley relay | 3.29.00 (46.62, 4th leg) | 2023 World Aquatics Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 30 July 2023 | 18 | AS | Former | [16] | ||
| 4 | 100 m freestyle | 46.97 | 2022 Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 24 September 2023 | 19 | AS | Former | [17] | ||
| 5 | 4×200m freestyle relay | 7:03.40 (1:44.77, 4th leg) | 2022 Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 25 September 2023 | 19 | NR | Former | [18] | ||
| 6 | 4×100m medley relay | 3:27.01 (46.65, 4th leg) | 2022 Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 26 September 2023 | 19 | AS | Current | [19] | ||
| 7 | 4×100m freestyle relay | 3:10.88 (47.06, 1st leg) | 2022 Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 28 September 2023 | 19 | AS | Current | |||
| 8 | 100 m freestyle (1st leg) | 46.80 | r | 2024 World Aquatics Championships | Doha, Qatar | 11 February 2024 | 19 | WR, AS | Former | [20] | |
| 9 | 4x200m freestyle relay | 7:01:84 (1:43:90, 3rd leg) | 2024 World Aquatics Championships | Doha, Qatar | 16 February 2024 | 19 | NR | Current | [21] | ||
| 10 | 4x100m mixed freestyle | 3:21.18 (47.29, 1st leg) | 2024 World Aquatics Championships | Doha, Qatar | 17 February 2024 | 19 | AS | Current | [22] | ||
| 11 | 100 m freestyle (1st leg) | 46.92 | r | 2024 Summer Olympics | Paris, France | 27 July 2024 | 19 | OR | Former | [23] | |
| 12 | 100 m freestyle | 46.40 | 2024 Olympic Games | Paris, France | 31 July 2024 | 19 | WR, OR, AS | Current | [24] |
Key: NR = National Record ; AS = Asian Record ; WJ = World Junior Record; WR = World Record ; h = heats; sf = semifinal ; r = Relay