Chinese swimmer Pan Shunli shattered the world record in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Doha on Sunday. Pan clocked a time of 46.80 seconds in the preliminary round of the 4x100 meter relay, breaking the previous record of 46.86 seconds set by Romanian David Popovici, leading his country to the world title and finishing the opening day of the championships with a strong performance.
The young swimmer's impressive performance has made him a strong contender for the gold medal in the 100-meter event at the Paris Olympics. The 19-year-old also set a record at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, becoming the first Asian swimmer to break the 47-second barrier in this event with a time of 46.65 seconds during the relay in Hangzhou. It should be noted that no record can be officially recognized unless achieved in a later stage of a relay race.
