Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle has accused his rivals of ‘looking down’ on him and ‘deliberately splashing’ his coach at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It comes after Pan broke his own world record as he won gold in the 100m freestyle on Wednesday night, further intensifying the doping row involving China’s swimmers.
An investigation by the New York Times revealed in April that 23 Chinese swimmers who had competed at the last Olympics in Tokyo had failed a drugs test – 11 of whom are competing again at Paris.
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Pan was not one of those named in the investigation but following his triumph in the pool, he claimed he had been treated differently by his fellow Olympians in the wake of the scandal.
‘On the first day, at the 4×100 relay, after we finished swimming I greeted [Australian Kyle] Chalmers. He didn’t pay me any attention at all,’ the 19-year-old told China Central Television, as quoted by the Telegraph.
‘Including [Jack] Alexy from the American team – when we were training and our coaches were on the sides, the movements he [Alexy] made seemed like he was deliberately splashing water on the coaches – it just felt like he looked down on us. Can I say this?’
Jack Alexy has been accused of ‘deliberately splashing water’ on the Chinese coaches (Photo: Getty)
He later added: ‘I tried my best to get the best result. I was very surprised in the end that I broke the world record and it was a magical moment.
‘Last year I received 29 tests and never had a positive. From May to July, I had 21 tests, no positive. Today we received a second test already.
‘I don’t think there has been any impact (on me) because all the testing has been done in the normal procedure … So it’s not a big issue.’
China’s anti-doping agency (Chinada) has always firmly denied that their athletes have cheated, labelling the New York Times investigation: ‘Extremely unfair and immoral.’
The row threatens to continue overshadowing the games however, with Australian swim coach Brett Hawke saying: ‘I am angry at that [Pan’s] swim. You don’t win 100 freestyle by a body length on that field. You just don’t do it.
‘It is not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length. That’s not real, you don’t beat that field. Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, Jack Alexy, you don’t beat those guys by one full body length in 100 freestyle.
‘That’s not humanly possible okay so don’t sell it to me, don’t shove it down my throat. It’s not real.’
But Chalmers himself was only complimentary of Pan’s performance and denied he had been hostile toward his rival, saying: ‘Last year, I remember walking out before the final of the world championships and just he was maybe a lane next to me.
‘He actually came up to me, and I didn’t know he spoke any English at that stage, and he said, “Kyle, I have so much respect for you. You’re my idol”.
‘Then again tonight, after the race, I congratulated him and he said, “You are my idol”. I look at him the same as any competitor.
‘I do everything I possibly can to win the race. I trust that everyone’s doing the same as I am and staying true to sport and the integrity of sport. I trust that he’s done everything he possibly can to be there, and he deserves that gold medal.
‘I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal and be on the top of the podium. I have silver and I’m just as happy with that. It’s exciting as a swimming fan and it’s going to make me train harder than I’ve ever trained before.’