A decade ago, during the 15th Provincial Games of Zhejiang, a 10-year-old swimmer named Pan Zhanle made a seemingly innocent statement during an interview about his future goals: "Being faster than Sun Yang is enough."
At that time, Sun, the Olympic champion freestyler, was at the peak of his career, having gained widespread recognition for clinching two gold medals in the 400m and 1,500m events during his Olympic debut at London 2012.
Initially dismissed as mere childhood banter, Pan, the young boy who dared to dream big, etched a remarkable chapter in Chinese swimming history with his record-breaking performances at the recent Paris Olympics.
On Aug 1, he stunned the crowd at the Paris La Defense Arena by setting a new world record of 46.40 seconds in the 100m freestyle final. Just four days later, he surpassed his own record with a 45.92s final leg in the men's 4x100m medley relay, solidifying his place among the swimming elite.
"I hope to continue doing my best to break the record in the men's 100m freestyle, pushing the boundaries further, and showing myself and the world where the human limit in this event truly lies," Pan said during a visit to Macao following his Paris heroics.
Hailing from Wenzhou in Zhejiang, a city renowned for its multitude of swimming venues — numbering more than a hundred — Pan was introduced to swimming by his parents from a young age.
Showing early signs of promise, he was scouted by the Wenzhou Sports School at the age of seven to pursue a potential career in the sport.
Wang Shi, serving as Pan's coach at the school, reminisced, "Back then, Pan was small in stature, not much of a talker, but dedicated during training."
"When it came to freestyle leg kicks, while other children would slack off when they began to tire, he could keep it up consistently," Wang recalled.
In the school's swimming team, if a member underperformed, coaches would typically penalize them with additional training.
However, Wang took a different approach with Pan.
"I would restrict his pool time as a punishment, which he found particularly hard to accept," Wang said.
Pan said that he was born to be "rebellious".
"The more people doubt my abilities, the more determined I am to prove them wrong," he said.
Pan Zhanle's spectacular performances in the pool, and distinctive personality out of it, have earned him plaudits from his international peers and popularity among a legion of fans. AFP/LI MUYI/FOR CHINA DAILY
In 2022, while working in China, American swimming coach Mark Schubert proposed that Pan switch to the individual medley, reasoning that Chinese swimmers were unlikely to outperform their international counterparts in the 100m freestyle event.
"Because of his verdict, I have persisted in training up to this point," Pan said.
His rapid ascent began at his first long-course competition, the 2022 world championships in Budapest, where, at 17 years old, he equaled the Chinese national record set by the 2015 world champion Ning Zetao with a semifinal swim of 47.65s.
In the men's 4x100m relay during the worlds in Doha in February, Pan amazed the crowded Aspire Dome venue by completing the first leg in a speedy, record-smashing 46.80s effort.
Pan admitted that he feels nervous every time he stands on the starting block.
"I have to focus on calming myself and slowing my heartbeat. I take deep breaths to lower my heart rate," he said.
"Then, right before entering the arena, that's when I try to get my heart pumping a bit faster, to keep my body warm, and I move around to warm up.
"Success relies on what you've accumulated every day. Only if you've prepared enough, can you seize the opportunity."
Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, Pan's daily routine involved starting with breakfast at 7 am, followed by a three-hour training session. During intense training periods, evening sessions were sometimes added, starting at 5:30 pm and ending at 9 pm. After training, he would return for dinner, get a massage and then sleep.
"You need to devote a massive amount of time, fully immersing yourself in training for your sport. It's about understanding what you've learned each day, what you've practiced, and where you still fall short. You have to do this day after day to become the best athlete in the world," he said.
"Just like in everyday life, swimming presents many challenges and solutions. It has definitely taught me to face difficulties head-on. There's always a solution," Pan added.
After he shot to global fame in Paris with his "not humanly possible" world record-smashing feat, he has been embarking on all sorts of new experiences, including visits to Hong Kong and Macao with other Chinese mainland Olympic medalists, and photo-shoots for fashion magazines.
"Although it's been tiring recently, I've been trying all sorts of new things, which I find quite interesting. Moving forward, I'll have fun when it's time to rest, and train hard when it's time to compete. I can switch between these modes," he said.
Pan added that, now that he has reached the pinnacle of the 100m freestyle, he might try his hand at some other disciplines, such as the 200m, 400m or 50m freestyle in the future.
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