Australian swimmer Pan Zhanle

Brett Hawke, an Australian swimming coach and former Olympian, has publicly questioned the legitimacy of Pan Zhanle's recent 100m freestyle world record, claiming it is 'not humanly possible' for the teenager to win by a full body length in such a competitive field. Pan set a new Olympic record of 46.40 seconds, surpassing his previous best of 46.80 seconds, but Hawke expressed disbelief in a video posted on Instagram, citing his extensive experience in the sport. The controversy is heightened by ongoing concerns about doping within the Chinese swimming team, following a New York Times report that detailed 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for banned substances prior to the Tokyo Olympics. While Pan was not implicated in those findings, the shadow of doping controversies looms over his victory. Silver medallist Kyle Chalmers defended Pan’s achievement, affirming that he deserved his gold medal despite the accusations. The situation continues to unfold amid global scrutiny of the integrity of competitive swimming.