Breaking the US Team’s Decades-Long Dominance in the Event! Pan Zhanle: “The Championship is Ours; Others Should Be the Unsatisfied Ones”

On the morning of August 5 (Beijing time), in the men’s 4x100m medley relay final at the Paris Olympic Games, Team China staged a remarkable comeback with a time of 1 minute and 50.35 seconds, edging out the United States and France to clinch the gold medal. After the race, Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun, and Pan Zhanle from the Chinese swimming team were interviewed.

Pan Zhanle clocked an astonishing 45.92 seconds in his fourth leg, faster than his own time of 46.40 seconds in the 100m freestyle final. After winning the gold, Qin Haiyang expressed some dissatisfaction with his performance during the interview. In response, Pan Zhanle said, “Before the race, I said that I would swim under 46 seconds. I really admire my three teammates. They might be unsatisfied with their performances, but the race is over now. The championship is ours, and if anyone should be dissatisfied, it should be others.”

It’s worth noting that the U.S. team had won the men’s 4x100m medley relay event at the Olympics for ten consecutive times, maintaining a 40-year monopoly.

When asked about the U.S.’s 40-year dominance, Pan Zhanle, who had just turned 20, responded, “How am I supposed to comment on that? What can I say?” Qin Haiyang added, “We formed this team specifically to break the U.S.’s dominance.”

After the race, on the night of his 20th birthday, Pan Zhanle posted: “A 20th birthday gift – I fulfilled the promise I made a year ago, celebrating my birthday with a team gold medal. After nine days of intense competition at the Olympics, it’s finally time to take a break. Two golds and one silver – I’m pretty satisfied with that!”

“A new journey has begun, and new goals have been set silently. I hope to make even greater contributions to the team. The Chinese swimming team is always the best!”