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Stephy Zhang

Pan Zhanle admitted he had a “fire burning inside” during his successful title defence of the men’s 100m freestyle at the Asian Games.
Motivated by a rival’s claim that he was not unbeatable, the 22-year-old “controlled his anger” to overturn two South Korean swimmers in the final 10 metres to snatch gold.
A day later on Monday, swimming the third leg in a team with Xu Haibo, Fei Liwei and Zhang Zhanshuo, he led China to its first men’s 4x200m freestyle relay Asian Games gold in 16 years, breaking the team’s own Asian record.
Those performances caused social media users to speculate whether Pan only performs at his best when fuelled by anger.
After the 100m freestyle race, when asked by a reporter from state media how he managed the comeback, Pan replied: “Before the race, I saw their comments saying ‘Pan Zhanle is not unbeatable.’
“I actually had a fire burning inside me and wanted to prove myself,” he said.

A month before the Asian Games, 20-year-old South Korean rival Kim Young-beom, holder of the Korean national 100m freestyle record, expressed his confidence to local media about beating Pan, stating: “He [Pan Zhanle] is intimidating, but I don’t think he is unbeatable. I am working as hard as he is, so I think gold is possible.”
Pan won the race with a time of 47.61 seconds, and Kim ultimately took silver in 47.65 seconds, followed by countryman Hwang Sun-woo in third (47.79 seconds), while Zhang finished fourth with a personal best of 48.23 seconds.
The time was Pan’s best since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Pan trailed early as the field turned together at 50 metres, with Kim turning first and Pan in third. Executing a late surge in the final sprint, Pan touched the wall 0.04 seconds ahead of Kim.
“When I reached the 99-metre mark, I thought I might lose,” Pan admitted after the race, insisting he is not naturally gifted. “Maybe I was just lucky today.”
Beyond luck, Pan credited his major tournament experience for the victory. “This is a good start, and I believe I will swim better in the future,” he said.
Kim was not the first rival to get under the skin of the Chinese swimmer. Pan made headlines after complaining during a post-race interview about Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers ignoring his greeting in the pool at the Paris Olympics.
While others might have let it pass, Pan raised the subject immediately after breaking the world record with a time of 46.40 seconds to win Olympic gold: “I greeted Chalmers earlier, but he completely ignored me. It felt like he looked down on us.”
The remark ignited a firestorm on social media.
Reflecting on his recent struggles, Pan noted that mindset rather than capability was the issue: “When I was younger, I was on an upwards trajectory. If I kept that old mindset, I might swim slower and slower. I am working to rediscover myself.”
Turning to the relay, Pan joked that Zhang was placed as the anchor leg due to his individual title and long reach: “With all conditions aligned, he always produces miracles on the final leg. He is the ‘Son of Miracles.’”

He self-deprecatingly added that the first two legs were assigned by skill level: “I am the weakest, so I was placed on the third leg.” Having previously considered himself a junior athlete, Pan joked that he felt “old” seeing competitors born in 2006 and 2007.
“I wouldn’t say I’m being challenged by younger swimmers,” he said. “Over the past two years, I’ve just been breaking through my own limits and surpassing who I was back then.”


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Asian Games: Pan Zhanle says ‘fire inside’ fuels his successful 100m freestyle title defence

Pan Zhanle beats two South Koreans to defend his 100m freestyle title at the Asian Games. Photo: Reuters

Pan Zhanle (centre), Kim Young-beom (left) and Hwang Sun-woo after the 100m freestyle final. Photo: AP

Pan Zhanle also won gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, with the team breaking the Asian record. Photo: Xinhua

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Ryan Choi (left) is through to the final of the men’s individual foil after beating South Korea’s Youn Jeong-hyun Photo: Sam Tsang

Chloe Leung (right) grabs bronze in the women’s road race at the Asian Games. Photo: Xinhua

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Siobhan Haughey is the favourite to win the women’s 100m freestyle. Photo: Robert Ng

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The 22-year-old admits rival Kim Young-beom saying, ‘He [Pan Zhanle] is intimidating, but I don’t think he is unbeatable’ spurs him to victory


The 22-year-old admits rival Kim Young-beom saying, ‘He [Pan Zhanle] is intimidating, but I don’t think he is unbeatable’ spurs him to victory.


Pan Zhanle

Asian Games: Pan Zhanle says ‘fire inside’ fuels his successful 100m freestyle title defence

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The 22-year-old admits rival Kim Young-beom saying, ‘He [Pan Zhanle] is intimidating, but I don’t think he is unbeatable’ spurs him to victory

The 22-year-old admits rival Kim Young-beom saying, ‘He [Pan Zhanle] is intimidating, but I don’t think he is unbeatable’ spurs him to victory