“This is his story, I have mine”

Between July 27 and August 3, Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang, Singapore, will host the World Swimming Championships, where a new episode of the rivalry between Pan Zhanle and David Popovici will be consumed.

Pan Zhanle started swimming at 4: “The victories made me love him”

Less than 2 weeks before the start of the competition, L'Equipe talked to Zhanle, the 100 -meter Olympic champion from Paris, and he gave details about his beginnings in sports, how he sees the 100 m race at the moment, as well as other important swimming names, such as David Popovici or Leon Marchand.

Zhanle explained that he started practicing swimming at 4, When the representatives of a swimming school came to make a selection at the kindergarten in which he was. At 7 he started competing and, in the next 2 years, he won 14 gold medals in competitions in an extremely populated region of China.

“At first, I had no idea about this sport. Then the victories made me love him more and more,” said Zhanle, who was constantly encouraged by his coaches.

“They said to me:«Continue to train and we'll see how far you can get». But at first, I continued to have a normal life, with school in the morning and with training only in the afternoon, “added the 20-year-old swimmer.

If, in the beginning, Zhanle had great emotions during the competitions and failed to perform at the level of training, so far things have changed.

“Now the competition seems fun to me. I know I can repeat what I do at workouts. There is no need for extra pressure,” said the Paris Olympic champion, who still stayed with his feet on the ground. “The fact that you have the world record does not mean you will win the championship“, Stressed Zhanle, who in the final of the 100 m race in Paris set a new world record: 46.40 seconds.

David Popovici and Pan Zhanle

Pan Zhanle, about David Popovici and Leon Marchand: “I do not take them as models”

Even though it's a huge distance between China and Romania or China and France, Zhanle follows David Popovici and Leon Marchand and admire them. Popovici considers him to be born to swim, while personal success attributes him to the level of work.

“Obviously, I look very much about what others do, But I don't take them as models, I only see them as opponents to beat. With my coach, we cannot say that we are influenced by what they do, but their performance inspires me very much, ”said Zhanle.

“Leon Marchand, winning 4 titles, is an example. I would like to be like him, but I can't win as much, just to do everything in my discipline, with my means. In 2022, when Popovici beat the record, I was very impressed, as the rest of the world was, but then I added.

At the European U23 championships in Samorin, Popovici switched to history at 100 m, 46.71, and managed the best performance of all time on the second length of basin: 23.98 s.

“That's his story, I have mine“, Zhanle replied, when asked about the Romanian record.

Pan Zhanle/PHOTO: Getty Images

Pan Zhanle, a new challenge at the Singapore World Cup: “Faima changed my life”

“We enter a new era of hundreds of meters. Before, 47 seconds was the (insurmountable) barrier, today you have to descend to win a medal. It's a challenge for all swimmers. You have to prepare for this and see how much you can push your limits, ”added the athlete from Wenzhou.

At the Singapore World Championships, Zhanle aims to compete in the 200 -meter race, which he considers important for his development. “It's a completely different distance, I have to find a different pace there, but I really enjoy this new challenge,” he concluded.

What happens to me is interesting, but it is also boring. Sometimes I would just like to enjoy my life outside the basin. But fame has changed my life. I really think that, at 100 meters, you can earn from wherever you are, from any country, with your way of doing things. I want to influence young people, not just from China but from all over the world

– Pan Zhanle