- Australian swimming coach calls Pan Zhanle’s swimming record “unreal”
- Brett Hawke says mind-blowing moment is ‘not humanly possible’
- He set a world record by finishing one second ahead of Kyle Chalmers.
An elite Australian swimming coach says China’s Pan Zhanle’s astonishing 100m freestyle world record is not humanly possible, insisting that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is”.
The 19-year-old superstar smashed his own record by 0.4 of a second to demolish Australian Kyle Chalmers, who had a one-second lead.
The incredible effort marked China’s first ever medal in the 100m freestyle, but swimming coach Brett Hawke is not convinced and has admitted the swim has made him ‘angry’.
“Listen, I’m going to be honest, I’m pissed about that swim,” Hawke posted on his Instagram account after the race.
‘Look, I’m angry for a number of reasons. Look, my friends are the fastest swimmers in history, from Rowdy Gaines to Alex Popov to Gary Hall Jr. to Anthony Irvin to King Kyle Chalmers. I know these people intimately, I’ve studied them for 30 years.
“I’ve studied this sport. I’ve studied speed. I understand it. I’m an expert at it, that’s what I do well.
‘I’m upset right now that the 100m freestyle isn’t won by a body length in that field. It’s just not done.
“It is not humanly possible to beat that group by a length difference.
Pan broke his own world record and took gold in the 100-meter freestyle final
Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke said Zhanle’s astonishing time was “not real”
“I don’t care what you say. It’s not a racial issue, it’s not an issue against any particular person or nation. It’s just what I see and what I know.
“That’s not real, you can’t beat that group. Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, Jack Alexy, you can’t beat those guys by a full length in the 100m freestyle. That’s not humanly possible, so don’t sell it to me, don’t force it on me. It’s not real.”
Hawke, who is also a former Olympic swimmer, also posted a message on his Instagram story that read: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
He did not directly mention doping, but China’s team has been under increased scrutiny since it was revealed that 23 swimmers tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Chalmers believes his Chinese rival is drug-free and said so after the race
Pan was not in the group of 23 allowed to compete in Tokyo after global anti-doping authorities accepted China’s explanation that the swimmers had eaten contaminated food at a team hotel.
Chalmers believes his Chinese conqueror is drug-free after the Australian swimming ace lost another Olympic title in Paris.
Asked after the race if he was concerned that Pan’s impressive swim would be marred by rumours that Chinese swimmers had doped, the Australian was clear in backing his rival.
“I’m doing everything I can to win the race and I trust everyone else to do the same as me, staying true to the integrity of the sport,” said silver medallist Chalmers.
“I trust that… he (Pan) deserves that gold medal.”