SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 19: Zhanle Pan of China looks on after the Men’s 100m Freestyle Heats … [+]
The second stop of the 2024 Swimming World Cup concluded with a new world cup record shattered by Pan Zhanle of team China. Pan showcased his freestyle skills, winning the 800-meter event in 7:35.30. With this time, he lowered the previous record of 7:35.58 set by Olympian Gabriele Detti in 2017.
He faced strong competition from Korea’s Kim Junwoo, who had the lead for more than half of the race. However, at the 600 meters mark, Pan surged and claimed the podium finish. 17-year-old Junwoo won silver with nearly a four-second difference, 7:35.15. Japan’s rising teen swimmer, Kazushi Imafuku, placed third in 7:40.77.
“It was an honor to win this title; fortunately, I was in good condition for today,” Pan said, as his training is quite similar to the 800-meter event, helping him to perform his best in the 25-meter pool. This win comes after the swimmer claimed his first World Cup gold in the 400-meter freestyle on the first day in Incheon. He touched the wall in 3:36.43, as Duncan Scott of Great Britain placed second in 3:37.04. These record-breaking performances by Pan were not unexpected, given he focused mainly on the long-distance events before he started training for the 100-meter free in which he set a world record in February.
FUKUOKA, JAPAN – JULY 28: Haiyang Qin of Team China celebrates winning gold with a new world record … [+]
Apart from Pan, team China’s sensation Qin Haiyang also won the gold at the last finals night in the 200-meter breaststroke. After qualifying for the event with an eighth spot in prelims, Qin emerged as an unpredicted winner in the finals. He led the event for much of the race despite Australia’s Joshua Yong’s efforts, clocking a time of 2:02.57. Yong and Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau placed second and third in 2:02.73 and 2:03.44, respectively.
This performance helped Qin win his first gold in the event. He claimed silver in Shanghai waters despite a better performance, finishing the 200-meter event in 2:01.92 as Yong clinched the gold in 2:01.67.
Interestingly, with Adam Peaty and Nic Fink’s absence, Qin continues to dominate all the breaststroke events. The 25-year-old’s streak in the 50-meter backstroke continues. After winning the gold on home soil, he claimed another podium finish at the second leg in 25.76. In the 100-meter event where he holds a world cup record, he claimed a gold and a silver medal at both the stops, respectively.
As of now, Team China leads the medal table with 7 gold medals claimed in Korea, followed by the United States (7 gold medals) thanks to Regan Smith and Kate Douglass’ efforts.
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