China’s internet erupted in joy and pride on Monday after its swimmers made history by ending the United States’ decades-long dominance in the men’s 4×100 meters medley relay at the Olympics. Pan Zhanle, who set a world record in the 100m freestyle last week, led the Chinese team to victory, overtaking American and French rivals in a stunning comeback.
The win marked China’s second gold medal in swimming at the Paris Olympics and sparked widespread celebration on social media, with hashtags like “Pan Zhanle’s stunning reversal” and “relay gold medal” trending on Weibo. Pan, who turned 20 on Sunday, called the team gold medal his birthday present and became an overnight sensation with 1.6 million followers on Weibo.
However, the Chinese swim team’s success has been met with skepticism and accusations of doping outside China. Nearly half of the team that competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had tested positive for a banned substance, but were cleared by China’s Anti-Doping Agency due to alleged contamination. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the assessment without appeal.
The allegations have sparked backlash in the swimming world, with some athletes and coaches questioning the legitimacy of the Chinese team’s wins. British Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty called for stricter doping testing after the British team finished fourth in the relay, saying, “If you’ve been contaminated twice, I think as an honorable person, you should be out of the sport.”
Despite the doubts, many Chinese social media users saw the team’s win as a vindication and proof of their strength. One comment with 2,300 upvotes read, “If breaking the record the first time didn’t convince the foreigners, this stunning reversal surely did. (Pan’s) so impressive and dominant!” Another user said, “Our strength speaks for itself. We won the gold fair and square.”
