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Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle aims high while staying down-to-earth

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      China

      China

      Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle aims high while staying down-to-earth

      2024-08-12 22:12 Last Updated At:22:37

      China's swimming prodigy Pan Zhanle said in an interview that he will aim high while staying down-to-earth as he strives for better achievements in future competitions.

      Pan, who just turned 20 earlier this month, extended his momentum this season with two gold medals grabbed at the Paris Olympics, including a men's 100m freestyle victory with new world record.

      Advancing through his career to the provincial and national teams, Pan entered a new chapter in 2023. In May, he broke the Asian record in the men's 100m freestyle at the Chinese National Championships with a time of 47.22 seconds and further improved his record at the Hangzhou Asian Games, winning the title with a time of 46.97 seconds.

      He finished in 46.40 seconds to win the men's 100-meter freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, topping his 46.80 seconds record made in February at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

      The Chinese swimming team returned to China on Aug 6 after completing all the competition tasks at the Paris Olympics.

      In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Pan said he is not worried if someone breaks his record, but will work harder to hold his record as long as possible.

      "There is bound to be someone who will break my record, because I created my record after having beaten other athletes' records step by step. What I'm going to do is to be able to hold the record as long as possible while I'm still active," said Pan.

      When asked whether he would feel uncomfortable if his record is broken by others, Pan said that it is natural to feel uncomfortable, but he will first congratulate the athlete who breaks his record.

      "No normal person would feel comfortable, but first of all, I will congratulate the athlete who can break my record. There has to be someone to lead the way, and then others can break out of the box. Just like I've reached this record now, I have to reach higher and farther in the future. And there will be someone to make breakthroughs, a Chinese from our country, or someone from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, or other countries," he said.

      Making impossible possible is what athletes should do, he stressed.

      Returning from Paris in triumph, Pan set his sight on a new goal – the 15th National Games in 2025.

      When asked whether it will be less stressful to prepare for the National Games after winning in the big event of Olympic Games, Pan said he is still under much pressure.

      "The pressure is also quite big, because I have not won the 100-meter freestyle at the National Games, although I have already won the World Aquatics Championships and the Olympics," he said.

      "Normally, short-distance swimmers will reach their peak period at 22 to 24 years old, so I'm quite looking forward to it. Maybe it's a fixed mindset. But since others have said that 22 to 24 years old is the peak, I will take it, and prove it myself," said Pan.

      Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle aims high while staying down-to-earth

      Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle aims high while staying down-to-earth

      Members of the Shenzhou-19 crew aboard China's Tiangong Space Station successfully completed their second series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 01:12 (Beijing Time) on Tuesday, after performing multiple tasks including the installation of space debris protection devices and an extravehicular inspection.

      Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze worked for over eight hours to complete the tasks, with Cai and Song undertaking spacewalk duties. They were assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth.

      Song stepped out of Tiangong's Wentian lab module at 16:55 on Monday. Cai exited the module about two hours later to join Song on device installation tasks. Meanwhile, Wang stayed in the station's core module to provide support.

      "The primary task is to install debris protection devices outside the module to safeguard its external cables from debris impact. Given the increasingly severe risk of space debris collisions in the orbital environment, we have carefully selected appropriate materials and made specialized designs. Additionally, the protection devices are designed to be easily and securely installed on the exterior of the space station, ensuring effective protection," said Li Zhihai, an aerospace engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

      During their previous extravehicular mission in December, the Shenzhou-19 crew primarily installed protective devices for the external pipelines and cables of the Tianhe core module. Their second spacewalk put a focus on strengthening the Wentian lab module.

      "Since the operational area for this mission differs from the previous one, the entire path planning process for the robotic arm must take into account the specific conditions around the Wentian module. It is essential to avoid any interference or collisions with the module itself or its solar panels. This requires maintaining a safe distance, which necessitates optimization in the design phase on the ground, along with extensive testing and validation," Li said.

      The crew has completed all tasks smoothly and the two astronauts conducting the EVAs have returned to the Wentian lab module safely.

      "The astronauts showed exceptional efficiency and speed throughout the entire process, and all installations were done perfectly," Li said.

      The Shenzhou-19 crew have completed nearly half of their space journey and are scheduled to carry out a significant number of in-orbit scientific experiments and technological tests, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

      Shenzhou-19 crew strengthens Tiangong station's debris protection in second spacewalk

      Shenzhou-19 crew strengthens Tiangong station's debris protection in second spacewalk

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