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Tom Bell

Pan Zhanle suffered more disappointment at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday, when China failed to reach the men’s 4x100 metres medley relay final – the event in which he shocked the world at the Olympics.
The heroics of Pan on the final freestyle leg at the Paris Games last August had ended a decades-long American monopoly in this discipline.
But on Sunday morning in Singapore, a repeat proved beyond a team that included Pan and China’s other leading light, Qin Haiyang, who was also in that Paris quartet and had collected two gold medals and one bronze in his breaststroke events at this meet.
Pan, Qin, Wang Shun and Xu Fang were only ninth fastest in the heats, from which eight qualified, as they clocked three minutes, 32.69 seconds – behind South Korea and more than five seconds slower than their Paris time.

Australia, who were 11th, missed out too, while the United States quartet qualified fastest for the final in 3:29.65.
It rounded off a championships in which 20-year-old Pan surprisingly failed to qualify for the finals of the men’s 100 and 200m freestyle. He is the Olympic champion and world record-holder in the former.
However, Chinese hopes remained alive for a first individual medal for 12-year-old Yu Zidi, as the Chinese schoolgirl won her 400 metres individual medley heat to qualify third for the evening’s final.
Yu drew arguably the biggest cheers of the morning on the championships’ eighth and final day as she clocked four minutes, 36.49 seconds, less than a second off the personal best of 4:35.53 that clinched her national title in May.
Summer McIntosh of Canada was on track to finish the championships with a fourth gold medal after qualifying fastest ahead of Yu for the final later on Sunday. She cruised to victory in her heat in 4:35.56, nearly 12 seconds shy of her world record (4:23.65) set at the Canadian trials in June.
France’s Leon Marchand nearly missed the men’s final of the same discipline. Marchand, who took the 200m medley gold after setting a world record in the semi-finals, led halfway through his 400 heat but slowed up almost too much in the breaststroke and freestyle legs as he qualified seventh for the final in the evening session.
While nearly three seconds behind Japanese top seed Tomoyuki Matsushita, Olympic champion and world record-holder Marchand will be strongly backed to win his third 400 world title.
With Carson Foster, the Olympic bronze medallist, pulling out of the heats with an ankle injury, the US did not qualify a swimmer for the first time in over 50 years of world championships.
New Zealand’s defending champion Lewis Clareburt also bombed out of the heats.
The US women also qualified fastest in their medley relay, in 3:54.49, a second clear of second-ranked Australia, with Germany third.
Eight gold medals will be contested in the evening session, with Germany’s Florian Wellbrock gunning for the men’s 1500 freestyle title to boost his bumper haul after sweeping the open-water events.
Lithuanian world record-holder Ruta Meilutyte will bid for a fourth successive women’s 50 breaststroke world title since returning to the pool from a two-year ban for anti-doping rule violations in 2021.
Additional reporting by Reuters


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Swimming

Pan Zhanle can’t repeat Olympic relay victory over US – but Yu Zidi, 12, has medal chance

Pan Zhanle has finished out of the running in several events in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

China’s quartet look downcast after their 4x100m medley relay heat on Sunday. Photo: AP

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China’s Pan Zhanle, pictured winning 100m freestyle gold at last year’s Paris Olympics, could compete at home in 2026. Photo: Kyodo

Pan Zhanle fails to reach 100m freestyle final at World Aquatics Championships

Pan Zhanle has been eliminated early from both the 100 and 200 metres freestyle in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Yu Zidi needed special permission to race at the World Aquatics Championships. Photo: Reuters

China’s Pan Zhanle ‘not happy’ after shock exit at World Aquatics Championships

Pan Zhanle was eliminated during the 200m heats at the world championships in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

Pan Zhanle said he was confused by his surprise exit in the 200m in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

China

Yu swims in 400 metres medley at World Championships, while China’s team fail to reach relay final a year after ending American monopoly


Yu swims in 400 metres medley at World Championships, while China’s team fail to reach relay final a year after ending American monopoly.


Pan Zhanle can’t repeat Olympic relay victory over US – but Yu Zidi, 12, has medal chance

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Yu swims in 400 metres medley at World Championships, while China’s team fail to reach relay final a year after ending American monopoly

Yu swims in 400 metres medley at World Championships, while China’s team fail to reach relay final a year after ending American monopoly