Pan Zhanle smashed his own 100-meter freestyle world record on August 2, finishing in 46.40 seconds to take China's first swimming gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
What happened?
Pan Zhanle's win came after he completed rigorous doping test programs prior to and during the games with zero positive results.
The 19-year-old Pan shaved 0.40 seconds off the previous mark he set at the World Championships in Doha in February, to humble rivals including Australia's Kyle Chalmers and Romania's David Popovici.
Why it matters for Pan Zhanle
Australian coach and commentator Brett Hawke posted on his Instagram that Pan Zhanle's swim was "not humanly possible" and that the result was "not real life".
Pan Zhanle took 21 doping tests from May to July prior to the games and cooperated with all the testing procedures, staying confident that he was competing fair and clean.
What comes next?
The Chinese swim team has been under intense scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 of the country's swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021 but were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that the results were due to contamination from a hotel kitchen, and an independent review backed WADA's handling of the case.
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, who won the bronze medal in the women's 200-meter butterfly final, responded to questions about Pan Zhanle during a press conference on Thursday, asking why Chinese athletes were questioned when they swam so fast.
Pan Zhanle did a lot of aerobics and endurance training to strengthen his push and kick in the final split, and adopted a scientific underwater monitoring and analyzing system to review his techniques and strokes.
Reaction to the win
China's state media, athletes, and netizens rallied to support Pan Zhanle after critics made claims about his world record swim, with one user commenting that it was "cool to see them incompetent, angry and breaking their defences".
The Chinese swimming team underwent more tests in two weeks than foreign athletes did in an entire year, according to China's Global Times Newspaper.
Pan Zhanle's name was not among the Chinese swimmers listed in the reports by the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD, and he has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
The World Aquatics audit concluded there was no mismanagement or cover-up by the governing body, and Pan Zhanle's win has been hailed as a major achievement for Chinese swimming.
Pan Zhanle's victory has sparked controversy and debate, but he remains focused on his training and competition, and is looking forward to his next event.
The Paris Olympic Games have been a major success for Pan Zhanle, and he will be looking to build on his win in the coming weeks and months.
The Chinese swimming team will continue to face scrutiny and criticism, but Pan Zhanle's win has shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of swimming.
The future looks bright for Pan Zhanle, and he will be one to watch in the world of swimming for years to come.
Pan Zhanle's win has been hailed as a major achievement, and he has set a new standard for Chinese swimmers to follow.
The Chinese swimming team will be looking to build on Pan Zhanle's win, and they will be working hard to ensure that they are competitive at the highest level.
Pan Zhanle's victory has been a major boost for Chinese swimming, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the coming weeks and months.
The world of swimming will be watching Pan Zhanle closely, and he will be looking to continue his success and make a name for himself as one of the top swimmers in the world.