‘It’s not like I was born a winner’: Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle on his rise to fame

SINGAPORE – Pan Zhanle has conquered the world’s biggest stages, beating out top swimmers in front of raucous crowds to emerge as a multiple Olympic and world champion.

But the toughest challenge for the Chinese swim star now is not facing his rivals in the pool. Instead, it is having to cope with all the attention that has been thrust on him after his successes in 2024.

The 20-year-old was one of the standout performers at the Paris Olympics, where

he bettered his world record to win the 100m freestyle gold

before anchoring the 4x100m medley relay team to victory, ending the United States’ 64-year unbeaten run in the process.

“I’m not used to the fame and attention of being a star swimmer, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it in my lifetime,” he said in Mandarin.

“Because we started off as normal people, it’s not like I was born a winner.”

Pan was speaking ahead of a sharing session with the public at the Singapore Management University on Oct 29.

The talk, which also featured Hong Kong’s four-time Olympic medallist Siobhan Haughey, was organised by Singapore Aquatics.

Both swimmers are in Singapore for the third and final leg of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup at the OCBC Aquatic Centre from Oct 31 to Nov 2.

On what has been different since the Olympics, he said: “Everything has been forced to change, but I just want to maintain a low profile, work hard quietly and do my own thing well.”

In the French capital, Olympic debutant Pan and his compatriots were also under scrutiny following revelations in April that 23 of the country’s swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021, with some of them competing at the Tokyo Games.

Relations between China’s swimming contingent and some other nations were frosty during the Games, but that did not stop Pan from storming to two golds and rewriting his 100m free world mark.

His was among just four swimming world records set at the Paris Olympics. On managing the outside chatter, Pan said: “It’s not related to us, and we’re innocent.”

His two titles at the La Defense Arena had come after he captured four golds during February’s Doha world championships – in the 100m free, as well as three free relays (4x100m, 4x200m and 4x100m mixed).

Having established himself as one of the world’s top swimmers in the 100m free, Pan is motivated by new challenges.

He said: “This stage’s goal has already been achieved. Now I have to set new goals for myself, I have to continue working hard over the next four years, I can’t take my foot off the pedal.”

The sprinter expressed interest in the middle-distance events and has offered a glimpse of his potential in the Incheon leg of the Swimming World Cup.

In the South Korean city, Pan won the 400m and 800m free events of the short-course meet. In the former, he was up against a field that included two Olympic 400m free bronze medallists in South Korea’s Kim Woo-min (2024) and the United States’ Kieran Smith (2020).

But he was quick to highlight that he is far from the best in those disciplines and that there is a difference between short-course and long-course events.

He said: “Actually I’ve always wanted to try the other disciplines, but it seems that the only distance I can manage is the 100m.

“I felt that the difference between me and the other swimmers is still quite big, especially in the turns, diving off the blocks and the underwater kicks, those kinds of details.”

As Pan ventures into new waters, there is no running away from the limelight for China’s golden boy whose talent is undeniable.