Pan Zhanle (, born 4 August 2004) is a Chinese freestyle swimmer. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the 100 metre freestyle. He is the world record holder in the long course 100 metre freestyle.
At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, Pan broke the world record in the 100 metre freestyle as the lead-off leg in the 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay. He also won the individual 100 metre freestyle event. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Pan won a gold medal in the 100 metre freestyle, breaking his world record. He also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay, swimming the fastest split in history in the men’s 100 metre freestyle.
Career
2019
In June 2019, at 14 years old, Pan participated in the Chinese Summer National Championships. He competed in the 1500 metre freestyle, winning with a time of 15:33.48.
2021
In April 2021, at 16 years old, Pan participated in the Chinese National Championships, aiming to qualify for the Summer Olympics. In the 100 m freestyle, Pan placed second with a time of 48.74 seconds, just 0.03 seconds behind He Junyi. He was within 0.2 seconds of the FINA “A” cut.
In May, Pan participated in the Chinese National Summer Championships. In the 100 m freestyle, he again took silver with a 49.02.
In September, at 17 years old, Pan competed in the National Games of China. In the 100 m freestyle, he won a bronze medal in 48.59.
In December, Pan competed in the World Swimming Championships (25m). In the 100 m freestyle, he placed 11th with a 47.09.
2022
In June 2022, Pan competed in the World Aquatics Championships. In the heats of the 100 m freestyle, he placed fifth with a time of 48.19. In the semifinals, he placed fifth in 47.65, tying the standing Chinese national record of 47.65, held by Ning Zetao since 2014. In the final, he claimed fourth in 47.79, just 0.08 seconds behind Josh Liendo of Canada who won bronze.
In October, Pan participated in the Chinese National Championships (25m). In the 100 m freestyle, he won with a time of 46.27.
In December, Pan competed in the World Swimming Championships (25m). In the 100 metre freestyle, he tied for sixth place in a time of 45.77, erasing the previous Asian Record of 46.14, set by Ning Zetao in 2017.
2023
In March 2023, Pan participated in the Chinese Spring National Championships. In the 400 m freestyle, he won the gold medal with a time of 3:47.22.
In May, Pan participated in the Chinese National Championships. In the 100 m freestyle, he posted the fastest swim of his life, taking the gold in a time of 47.22, breaking the Asian record of 47.56 that Hwang Sun-woo set in 2021. In the 200 m freestyle, he won with a time of 1:44.65. In the 400 m freestyle, he topped the event with a time of 3:46.40.
In July, Pan competed in the World Aquatics Championships. In the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, he led off with a 47.67 to help China finish in 3:11.38, placing fourth and setting a new Asian record. In the 100 m freestyle, Pan placed fourth in 47.43, just 0.01 seconds behind Maxime Grousset of France who won bronze. In the 4 × 100 m medley relay, Pan anchored in 46.62 to help China win silver and finish in 3:29.00, breaking the Asian record.
In September, Pan competed in the Asian Games. In the 100 m freestyle, he took the gold in 46.97, establishing a new Asian Record. In the 50 m freestyle, he bagged the bronze in 21.92. In the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, he anchored in 1:44.77, making China settle for silver in 7:03.40. In the 4 × 100 m medley relay, he anchored in 46.65 to help China win gold in 3:27.01, obliterating the Asian Record they just set at the World Championships. In the 200 m freestyle, he settled for silver in 1:45.28. In the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, he led off in 47.06 to help China win in 3:10.88, knocking off the previous Asian record notched at the World Championships. In the 400 m freestyle, he clocked a 3:48.81 for the silver medal.
2024
In February 2024, Pan competed in the World Aquatics Championships. In the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, he led off in 46.80 to help China win in 3:11.08. His swim of 46.80 broke David Popovici's world record of 46.86 which Popovici swam in 2022. In the 100 m freestyle, he took the gold in a time of 47.53. In the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, he uploaded a 1:43.90 split on the third leg to help China win the gold medal in 7:01.84.
In April, Pan participated in the China National Swimming Championships. In the 400 m freestyle, he fired off a new lifetime best of 3:45.58 en route to gold. In the 200 m freestyle, he won gold in 1:45.68. In the 100 m freestyle, he unleashed a winning time of 46.97. In the 50 m freestyle, he got to the wall first in 22.06.
In July, Pan competed in the Summer Olympics. In the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay, he led off in 46.92, breaking the Olympic record of 47.02 that Caeleb Dressel swam in 2021. Despite that, China placed fourth in 3:11.28. In the semifinals of the 100 m freestyle, Pan touched in first in 47.21. In the final, he claimed gold in a time of 46.40, destroying his world record. His margin of victory, 1.08 seconds, was the largest in this event since the 1928 Summer Olympics, and his 0.40-second improvement on the world record was the biggest leap since 1976. In the 4 x 100 m medley relay, as the anchor leg, Pan entered the water in third place but overtook the swimmers from the United States and France in the final 100 meters, clocking a 45.92, the fastest split in history in the men’s 100 m freestyle, surpassing the previous all-time split of a 46.06 that Jason Lezak of the United States swam at the 2008 Summer Olympics wearing super suit. He brought China from third to first in a time of 3:27.46, delivering the first defeat to the United States in this event since it was included in the Olympic program at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Physical attributes
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.
Personal bests Long course (50-meter pool) EventTimeMeetDateNote(s) 50 m freestyle 21.92 2022 Asian Games September 25, 2023 100 m freestyle 46.40 2024 Paris Olympics July 31, 2024WR 200 m freestyle 1:44.65 2023 Chinese National Swimming Championships May 4, 2023 400 m freestyle 3:45.34 2025 Chinese National Swimming Championships May 17, 2025 800 m freestyle 7:57.92 2026 China Open Swimming Championships March 22, 2026 1500 m freestyle 15:28.83 2020 Chinese Spring National Swimming Championships January 8, 2020 50 m butterfly 23.80 2025 China National Championship September 6, 2025 200 m backstroke 1:58.542026 China National Swimming Championships June 21, 2026 200 m individual medley 2:01.92 2021 Chinese National Swimming Championships January 1, 2021 400 m individual medley 4:29.54 2019 Chinese National Youth Games August 16, 2019
Short course (25-meter pool)
EventTimeMeetDateNote(s) 50 m freestyle 21.54 2022 Chinese National Championships October 27, 2022 100 m freestyle 45.77 2022 World Championships December 15, 2022AS 200 m freestyle 1:41.59 2024 World Cup November 2, 2024 NR 400 m freestyle 3:36.43 2024 World Cup October 24, 2024 800 m freestyle 7:35.30 2024 World Cup October 26, 2024 WC, NR 100 m individual medley 51.78 2024 World Cup October 18, 2024 Key: WR = World Record; AS = Asian Record; NR = National Record; WC = World Cup record
Records Long course (50 m) 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 Race, Retta (May 1, 2023). "18-Yr-Old Pan Zhanle Blasts 47.22 100 Free Asian Record (Video)". SwimSwam. Retrieved September 27, 2023. 2 freestyle relay 3:11.38 (47.67, 1st leg) 2023 World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka, Japan 23 July 2023 18 AS Former 3 medley relay 3.29.00 (46.62, 4th leg) 2023 World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka, Japan 30 July 2023 18 AS Former 4 100 m freestyle 46.97 2022 Asian Games Hangzhou, China 24 September 2023 19 AS Former 5 freestyle relay 7:03.40 (1:44.77, 4th leg) 2022 Asian Games Hangzhou, China 25 September 2023 19 NR Former 6 medley relay 3:27.01 (46.65, 4th leg) 2022 Asian Games Hangzhou, China 26 September 2023 19 AS Current 7 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 9 freestyle relay 7:01.84 (1:43:90, 3rd leg)2024 World Aquatics ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar16 February 2024 19 NR Former 10 mixed freestyle 3:21.18 (47.29, 1st leg)2024 World Aquatics ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar17 February 2024 19 AS Current 11 100 m freestyle (1st leg) 46.92 r 2024 Summer Olympics Paris, France 27 July 2024 19 OR Former 12 100 m freestyle 46.40 2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 31 July 2024 19 WR, OR, AS Current 134 x 200 m freestyle relay7:00.91(1:44.41, 2nd leg)2025 World Aquatics ChampionshipsSingapore, Singapore1 August 202520AS, NRCurrent
Short course (25 m) No. Event Time Meet Location Date Age Type Status 1 100 m freestyle 45.77 2022 World Swimming Championships Melbourne, Australia 15 December 2022 18 AS Current 2200 m freestyle1:41.592024 Swimming World CupSingapore2 November 202420NRCurrent 3 800 m freestyle 7:35.30 2024 Swimming World Cup Incheon, South Korea 26 October 2024 20 NR Current
Key: NR = National Record; AS = Asian Record; WJ = World Junior Record; WR = World Record; OR = Olympic Record; h = heats; sf = semifinal; r = Relay
References
External links
潘展乐 at Weibo Pan Zhanle at instagram