Pan Zhanle of China reacts after the men's 100m freestyle final at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
Chinese freestyle prodigy Pan Zhanle, whose handle on Chinese social network Weibo translates to 'the swimmer in the stands', has earned a new name - 'flying fish' after grabbing the men's 100m freestyle gold at the Hangzhou Asiad. Now, the rising star eyes on the world record and the Olympic championship.
by sportswriter Li Jia
HANGZHOU, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pan Zhanle's handle on Chinese social network Weibo translates to 'the swimmer in the stands', which stands in stark contrast with the current situation. But the teen sensation doesn't want to change it.
Pan gave himself that handle at the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi, where he always remained in the stands.
"I thought it really suited me," said the 19-year-old after claiming a silver medal in the men's 200m freestyle at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday.
By now, the freestyle prodigy has made his name known and is never in the stands.
Pan Zhanle competes during the men's 4x100m medley relay final at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
Pan swam a freestyle leg at world record pace to drive China to the men's 4x100m medley relay gold on Tuesday. He clocked 46.65 seconds as China threatened the United States' world record. That time was even faster than his winning mark in the 100m freestyle final - 46.97 seconds, which made him the first Asian swimmer to break the 47-second barrier.
Despite setting a new Asian record, Pan was disappointed to have missed out on the world record.
"I think it was so-so. I had my eyes on the world record [of 46.86 seconds]. To miss it by 0.11 seconds is a pity.
"The Asian record doesn't feel like something extraordinary. This is something I should get," said Pan. The world record was set by David Popovici of Romania in 2022, and Pan has been striving to break it.
He also took part in the 200m freestyle, but was outpaced by South Korea's Hwang Sun-woo. It looks as if the 100m will be his main focus for the Paris Olympic Games, which are only 10 months away.
"This shows I'm not good enough and I need to work harder in my 200m. I have the edge over Hwang in the 100m, but he is ahead of me in the 200m. It's a positive rivalry between us," explained Pan.
"I don't really want to swim the 200m. I'd rather focus on my 100m."
Wang Haoyu (bottom) and Pan Zhanle (up) of China compete during the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)
Taking up swimming at the age of four, Pan quickly showed his talent in the pool. He won seven gold medals at the Zhejiang Provincial Games in 2014, and was selected to the provincial squad four years later.
He earned fame at the national championships in May, where he broke the Asian 100m freestyle record for the first time.
At the Fukuoka World Championships in July, Pan was just 0.01 seconds shy of a podium finish. He said this experience gave him more confidence.
"I failed to win a medal this time, but next time maybe I can win," he said.
Now 'the swimmer in the stands' has earned a new name - 'flying fish', but Pan still likes his old name.
"I am not a 'flying fish' as long as I haven't broken the world record," said Pan, adding that his next goal would be to take both the world record and a gold medal in Paris.
"After I gave myself that Weibo handle, I was basically never in the stands again. It had a counter-effect so I kept it," Pan quipped. ■
