China’s Pan Zhanle made history on Wednesday at the Arena La Défense in Paris by winning the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle and breaking the world record he had set in February. It is the first world record to be broken in the pool at these Paris Olympics.
The first-time Olympian clocked 46.40, shaving 0.40 seconds off the previous world record of 46.80 he had set earlier this year at the world championships in Doha. Australia’s Kyle Chalmers won silver in 47.48, while Romania’s David Popovici won bronze in 47.49. Team USA’s Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano finished seventh and eighth respectively.
The performance by 19-year-old Zhanle helped cap a standout day in the pool, with Team USA’s Katie Ledecky winning a gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle and France’s Leon Marchand completing an unprecedented Olympic double, winning gold in both the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter breaststroke.