Pan Zhanle on 200 Free at Worlds: ‘It’s Not Good’
Much as Leon Marchand and Summer McIntosh took center stage at the Paris Olympics in 2024 with their frequent ascents up the medal stand, Pan Zhanle delivered the swim of the Games with his world record in the 100 freestyle.
It was the kind of performance that made you wonder what else the 20-year-old from China might be capable of. In search of another event to exert his dominance upon, the 200 freestyle was a logical choice. But it didn’t work out for Pan in a big international test Monday.
Pan crashed out of prelims of the men’s 200 freestyle at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, finishing 22nd in the event.
“It’s not good,” Pan said. “I felt quite OK yesterday, but today’s swim felt completely different. I’ll have to keep working hard and make adjustments. I’m not sure what happened, and I’m not happy with this time.”
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Pan went 1:47.46 on Monday in Singapore. His time was more than two seconds behind David Popovici, who set the pace in prelims and, as the previous owner of the 100 free world record, is the kind of 100/200 specialist Pan is seeking to emulate. Pan’s time Monday was nearly eight tenths behind the 16th-place time of Italy’s Carlos D’Ambrosio, which got him the last ticket to semifinals.
Pan had been 22nd at the Paris Olympics in the 200 as well, albeit in 1:49.47. He’s put considerable effort into extending his range, and in doing so, he’s moved up in yardage. At Chinese nationals in the spring, he won the 400 free and 200 free. He went 1:45.45 in the latter, good for the eighth seed entering Worlds.
Pan is not in poor form. He split 47.73 off the end of the Chinese 400 free relay in prelims on Sunday to open the competition, then 46.63 in finals, pulling China from seventh to fifth. The struggle in the 200, he seems to think, is of a completely different nature.
“It won’t affect my upcoming races,” he said. “The 200m and 100m are two different events. Am I ranked 22nd? My time is unexpected – I didn’t think I would be this slow.”
