Despite Early-Season Speed, Pan Zhanle Remains Man to Beat in 100 Freestyle
The early months of 2025 have produced a share of sizzling efforts in the men’s 100 freestyle. In long course, the world’s top time belongs to Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, the 2016 Olympic champion and a three-time Olympic medalist in the event, at 47.27, with former world-record holder David Popovici of Romania just behind at 47.30. At last week’s Russian Championships, Igor Kornev blasted a 47.42 clocking for the No. 3 spot.
We’d be remiss to forget about times posted in short course as well. At the recent NCAA Championships, Jordan Crooks took down Caeleb Dressel’s long-standing NCAA record in the 100-yard freestyle before Josh Liendo edged Crooks in the final, becoming just the third man ever to clock a sub-40-second performance. American Jack Alexy could not keep pace with them in yards, but with the pool just a smidge longer at the Short Course World Championships, he edged out Crooks and Gui Caribe to win gold.
But with the performances Pan Zhanle put forth last year on his way to winning individual Olympic gold in the 100 free plus another top honor in the men’s 400 medley relay, the young Chinese swimmer remains the class of the world in the two-lap event.
Last year, Pan arrived in Paris as the world-record holder in the 100 free, and he set an Olympic record leading off his country’s 400 free relay, but he struggled in the aftermath, bombing out of the 200 free with a 22nd-place finish before barely reaching the semifinals of his main event, finishing in a three-way tie for 13th at 48.40. A tenth slower, and Pan’s gold-medal hopes would be out the window.
But then came Pan’s world-record-crushing swim in the 100 free final, his time of 46.40 taking four tenths off his previous world record, an astounding result given that the mark had dropped just 11-hundredths in the previous 15 years. Then, with the final day of Olympic swimming coinciding with his 20th birthday, Pan anchored China’s 400 medley relay to gold in 45.92, surpassing Jason Lezak for the fastest split in history. Moreover, China took down the United States, previously unbeaten in the event at the Olympics.
In his two golden efforts in Paris, Pan produced previously-unfathomable splits: in the individual final, he clobbered the field both going out and coming back with lap times of 22.28 and 24.12. The medley relay was a similar story as Pan went out in 21.57 and still had plenty of juice left for the back end.
Yes, Chalmers and Popovici are unquestioned stars, and Kornev is pointing toward a strong international debut later this year. Alexy, Liendo, Crooks, Matt Richards, Nandor Nemeth and Maxime Grousset are all veterans with medal capabilities. But any of them would require huge improvement to reach the new realm of speed the young Chinese star has brought to the 100 free.
