'NOT REAL'
Paris 2024 Olympics locked in cheating storm as swimming coach slams world record as ‘not humanly possible’
The runner-up has also had his say on the controversial race
PAN ZHANLE'S incredible world record performance in the 100m freestyle has been labelled "not humanly possible" by an irate swimming coach.
The Chinese star, 19, smashed his own record by 0.4 seconds to romp to gold at Paris 2024.
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Pan defeated runner-up Kyle Chalmers of Australia by more than a second at La Defense Arena.
Following the race, which saw China earn their first ever 100m freestyle medal, Aussie coach and former Olympian Brett Hawke looked to cast doubt on Pan's incredible performance.
The 49-year-old said on his Instagram Story: "Listen, I'm just going to be honest, I am angry at that swim.
"Look I'm angry for a number of reasons. Look my friends are the fastest swimmers in history from Rowdy Gaines to Alex Popov to Gary Hall Jr, Anthony Irvin and all the way up to King Kyle Chalmers. I know these people intimately, I've studied them for 30 years.
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"I've studied this sport. I've studied speed. I understand it. I'm an expert in it, that's what I do okay.
"I'm upset right now because you don't win 100 freestyle by a body length on that field. You just don't do it.
"It is not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length.
"I don't care what you say. This is not a race thing, this is not against any one particular person or nation, this is just what I see and what I know.
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"That's not real, you don't beat that field. Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, Jack Alexy, you don't beat those guys by one full body length in 100 freestyle.
"That's not humanly possible okay so don't sell it to me, don't shove it down my throat. It's not real."
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He then added: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."
Prior to Tokyo 2020, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a performance-enhancing banned substance.
They were eventually allowed to compete at the Games, after authorities accepted China's explanation that athletes had consumed contaminated food while staying together at a hotel.
Regardless, Pan was not part of that group.
Silver medallist Chalmers, 26, did not seek to cast doubt on Pan's achievement.
He said: "I do everything I possibly can to win the race and trust everyone's doing the same as I am, staying true to the integrity of sport.
"I trust that… he deserves that gold medal."
REVEALED: Why setting swimming world records is proving near-impossible in Paris
Plenty of times have been slower than anticipated.
Sunday's 100m breaststroke final, which saw Team GB superstar Adam Peaty collect a silver medal, despite testing positive for Covid hours later, was the slowest at the Olympics in 20 years.
Leon Marchand, despite achieving gold in the Men's 400m Individual Medley, also missed his own world record by a whopping 0.45 seconds.
He still went on to win another two golds in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.
The slower times have gathered attention from stars of yesteryear.
Following the 200m breaststroke final, former world champion Nick Gillingham, 57, took to social media.
He wrote: "Did pool maintenance do a back wash down the pool to speed the water up and slow down the swimmers for this race?"
The peculiar times could be due to a shallower pool than at recent Games, according to .
La Defense Arena's pool being used for this summer's competition is a temporary structure that has been hauled in.
The last four Olympic Games have featured three metre deep pools, with World Championships also tending to be the same depth.
At Paris 2024, however, the pool is 2m 15cm deep - which could be the root cause of slower times.
While the pool complies with the two metre minimum imposed at Games, it is 85cm shallower than at Olympics staged in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London and Beijing.
In shallower pools, it is claimed that greater "turbulence" caused by water being more prone to come back off the floor leads to water being choppier for athletes.
Whereas, in a deeper pool, the force of waves is said to have often already dissolved prior to it bouncing up off the surfaces.
Meanwhile there was despair for Team GB swimmer Luke Greenbank was DISQUALIFIED from the 200 metre backstroke having swam the fastest time in the heats.
The 26-year-old thought he had safely booked his spot in the semi-finals by beating German Lukas Maertens in the fourth heat on Wednesday morning.
But he was then left with his head in his hands when a video replay saw him disqualified for being underwater beyond the 15-metre mark at the start.
He appeared to be looking up at the screen immediately after winning the heat.
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And when the result was confirmed in the stadium Greenbank was visibly distraught.
He collapsed to his knees as he realised his Olympic dream in Paris was over due to the rule break.
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What's happening today at The Games?
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
TODAY'S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Water takes centre stage on Day 6 as Joe Clarke eyes canoe slalom kayak gold (4.30pm).
In the rowing, the women’s four should claim gold while the men’s four and women’s double sculls will know they can get on the podium, too (10.15am).
And after our men won the 4x200m freestyle relay, the women could add a medal in the pool tonight (8.48pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Defending champ Beth Shriever and Tokyo silver medallist Kye Whyte begin their BMX racing event at the quarter-finals (from 7pm).
Bryony Pitman (9am), Penny Healey (4.14pm) and Alex Wise (5.05pm) are all in archery action.
Andy Murray’s swansong with Dan Evans continues - they face Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals (3.30pm).
And the golf starts today, meaning Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick will tee off for GB, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry flying the flag for Ireland (from 8am).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
World No1 Scottie Scheffler leads an all-star USA golf team, though, alongside Open champ Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.
French Open champ Iga Swiatek is the heavy favourite for the women’s tennis singles gold ahead of her semi-final before Carlos Alcaraz then Novak Djokovic go in the men’s quarters (from 11am).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Volleyball is an ever-present throughout the Olympics, running from Day 1 all the way to Day 16, all of it in the catchy-named South Paris Arena 1.
Tokyo runners-up Brazil face Japan (12pm) and hosts France vs China (8pm) in the pick of the clashes.
STATS MAD
3:50 - Who doesn’t love a competitive brisk walk?
The athletics officially begins with the men’s and women’s 20km race walks today (6.30am and 8.20am).
The world record is a staggering 1:16.36 - that’s an average of 3m50s per km while WALKING.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
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