Pan Zhanle and Kim Yeong-beom created a dramatic race in the men's 100m freestyle ASIAD 20.
Kim Yeong-beom had a good start and took the lead when reaching the first 50m mark with a time of 22.81 seconds. Pan Zhanle then finished third, 0.11 seconds behind the leader. Hwang Sun-woo, another candidate from South Korea, also maintained a small gap with the leading group.
Pan Zhanle accelerated in the last 50m and gradually narrowed the gap. The Chinese swimmer touched the lake wall with a time of 47.61 seconds, while Kim Yeong-beom completed the competition just 0.04 seconds later. Hwang Sun-woo and the remaining opponents could not squeeze into the gold medal race.
The 0.04-second gap is even more noteworthy when Pan Zhanle does not have a brace advantage. Kim Yeong-beom's brace is about 2.16m, while Pan Zhanle is only about 1.90-1.92m. In the final meters, the opponent's body length advantage can make a difference, but Pan Zhanle still reaches the finish line first.
At 99m, I still thought I could lose, maybe I was lucky today," Pan Zhanle shared after winning the gold medal.
Before ASIAD 20, Pan Zhanle's best achievement in 2026 was 47.91 seconds at the Chinese national championship in June. Meanwhile, Tatsuya Murasa of Japan once achieved 47.83 seconds and is considered one of the notable opponents in this event.
Kim Yeong-beom and Hwang Sun-woo also had achievements below 48 seconds last season. Japan also has Matsumoto Katsuhiro, while China places expectations on Zhang Zhanshuo.
