DOHA (Reuters) – China’s Pan Zhanle set the 100 metres freestyle world record at the swimming World Championships in Doha on Sunday with a stunning leadoff swim in the 4x100m relay to power his nation to the world title.
Pan clocked 46.80 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 46.86 set by David Popovici of Romania, as the opening day of the event finished with a bang.
The amazing swim lifts the teenager into favourite for the 100m gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 19-year-old flirted with record pace at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
He became the first Asian swimmer to break the 47 seconds barrier in the event and clocked an incredible 46.65 in a relay leg. A record can only be set in a leadoff leg in a relay.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Doha; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Christian Radnedge)
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