Pan Zhanle fails to reach 100m freestyle final at World Aquatics Championships
Olympic champion off pace in semi-finals, Qin Haiyang loses 50m breaststroke crown, but 12-year-old Yu Zidi reaches 200m butterfly final
China’s Pan Zhanle failed to qualify for the final of the men’s 100 metres freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Wednesday.
In a shock result, Pan, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, finished third in 47.81 seconds in the first semi-final.
Seven of the eight swimmers in the second semi-final went faster, leaving Pan out in the cold. The result continued a poor week for the 20-year-old, who crashed out of the 200m freestyle heats on Monday.
“To put it simply, I just wasn’t in good shape today,” Pan said. “I’ll continue to work hard.”
Moments after Pan stepped out of the pool at the Singapore Sports Hub, his compatriot Qin Haiyang failed to defend his title in the 50m breaststroke final, finishing third in 26.67 seconds.
Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo was first in 26.54, followed by Kirill Prigoda, the Russian competing under a neutral banner, in 26.62.