Zhanle smashed all records with a time of 46.40 seconds, unreachable for the rest of the competitors and which serves to beat the 46.80 he himself set at the world championships in Doha in February. Despite the historic feat, which is rare to see in this competition today, there was a certain coolness in the stands.

The reason for this response from the fans can be traced back to the suspicions of doping that have been hanging over Chinese swimming since last April. That was when German public broadcaster ARD and the New York Times revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine in domestic competitions in January 2021, ahead of the Tokyo Games.

The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) attributed it to food contamination after finding traces of the substance in the kitchen of the hotel where the athletes were staying. For its part, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted this explanation and vigorously defended itself against all the accusations coming from the world of sport, especially from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), whose director, Travis Tygart, went so far as to describe WADA's lack of action as "a possible cover-up".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded to the accusations by saying that "the reports revealed by the press produced biased news. I think you will also have noticed that WADA gave a very clear response. CHINADA moved along the same lines, stating in a statement that it reserves the right to take appropriate legal action against the New York Times and other media outlets for their statements contrary to the basic facts."

It should be recalled that it was precisely at the Tokyo Olympics that Zhang Yufei won two gold and two silver medals, and where Li Bingjie also won a gold and a bronze medal. Later, at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Chinese swimmers won 20 gold, eight silver and 12 bronze medals ahead of Australia and the United States. The distrust between the rivals has been incessant since the news of the positive test came to light.

In the heat of this tense climate, the Chinese swimming team remains under the spotlight at Paris 2024. In fact, it is the one that has passed the most International Testing Agency (ITA) doping tests since arriving in France. In particular, the focus is on the 11 swimmers participating in these Games - not including the young Zhanle - who were part of the group of 23 athletes who tested positive at the Tokyo edition.

Nevertheless, Zhanle's explosion has been a source of great pride in China and has sparked euphoria on social media. Many users enjoying the triumph have criticised the scorn the Chinese team has received from other delegations. "All those foreigners who doubted your achievements now know how fantastic you are, Pan. Your greatness needs no explanation," read one post.

Other comments on Weibo followed suit, with Asian fans noting that "In the end, those who can't bring you down only end up making you stronger. They are only destined to follow your lead," or "We Chinese are a people with limits, we have convictions. It's not like us to do something against the rules." Social media hashtags related to Zhanle's victory racked up more than 750 million likes by midday yesterday.

Chinese swimmers have added to these posts by highlighting that their preparation for these Olympics has been affected because they have undergone so much testing for banned substances in Paris. And even former Olympic swimmer Zhao Jing, who was commentating the 100m race on state television CCTV, shouted Pan's name several times into her microphone during the last leg before the record. "Please don't say nasty things," Zhao asked during the broadcast.