Australian spring swimming legend Kyle Chalmers will chase a second 100m freestyle world title on Thursday night (AEST), but he won’t be taking on the current Olympic champion and world record holder after a shock result.
Chinese swimming phenomenon Pan Zhanle said he “wasn’t in good shape” after crashing out of Wednesday’s semi-finals in a bombshell twist ahead of the final of swimming’s blue ribband event.
The 20-year-old Pan, who stunned the world by winning gold in Paris in a new record time of 46.40sec a year ago, finished 10th in the semi-finals in Singapore, missing out on the eight-man final.
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His time of 47.81 was a full second behind the surprise fastest qualifier, American Jack Alexy.
“To put it plainly, I just wasn’t in good shape today,” said the 20-year-old Pan.
“I’ll continue to work hard.” Pan also flopped in the 200m freestyle in Singapore, going out in the heats.
Chalmers, who qualified for the 100m final from the same semi-final as Pan, said his Chinese rival was “probably struggling a little bit”.
“He said to me this morning after the heat, ‘I am tired’ after we touched the wall, so I’m assuming he’s not at his best,” said Chalmers.
“He had such a successful Olympic year last year. A lot of Australian Olympic athletes like myself have struggled the year after the Olympics, historically.
“I’m sure he’s probably even more famous than I ever was in Australia.”
Pan’s win in Paris turned heads in the swimming world, with Australian Olympian-turned swimming coach Brett Hawke questioning its legitimacy.
Hawke, an Australian Olympic sprint freestyler himself who went on to mentor Brazil’s Cesar Cielo, the first man to break 47 seconds, claimed the world record time was “not humanly possible”.
Hawke would surely have been impressed by some of the times swum in Singapore on Wednesday.
While Chalmers comfortably won the first semi final in a time of 47.36 he was, remarkably, the only man from the race to book a spot in the final. The second semi-final, meanwhile, featured astonishing swims from Alexy (46.81) and Romanian star David Popovici (46.84), the American becoming the third-fastest swimmer in the event in history.
Chalmers, 27, has never broken the 47-second mark but may have to do so if he is to add another major 100m freestyle triumph to his Rio Olympic and 2023 Fukuoka world championships crowns.
Earlier, in the first race of the day, Australian Elizabeth Dekkers finished third in the women’s 200m butterfly final to win bronze.
Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh looked a chance of beating the world record after a sensational third lap but fell short in the end.
Her time of 2:01.99 was a championships record though and good enough to win her gold, with American Regan Smith in second.
12-year-old Yu Zidi, meanwhile, finished fourth.
Elsewhere, French superstar Leon Marchand will look to repeat his semi-final world record heroics in the men’s 200m medley final.
DAY 5 FINALS SCHEDULE AT WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (TIMES AEST)
9.02pm Women’s 200m butterfly final
9.11pm Women’s 100m freestyle semi-finals
9.23pm Women’s 200m individual medley final
9.32pm Men’s 100m freestyle final
9.45pm Women’s 200m breaststroke semi-finals
10pm Women’s 50m backstroke final
10.13pm Men’s 200m breaststroke semi-finals
10.31pm Men’s 200m backstroke semi-finals
10.44pm Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay final
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