'Our gold medals are squeaky clean' - China slams doping doubts

The Chinese swimming team is celebrating a significant victory after winning the 4x100m medley relay against the United States. Qin Haiyang, a member of the team, expressed his confidence by stating, 'Any doubt is just a joke. Stress only makes us stronger. ' This victory comes at a time when the Chinese swimmers have faced intense scrutiny due to doping allegations. Recently, some of the top swimmers from China, including Qin and his relay teammate Sun Jiajun, have been under the spotlight following numerous doping claims. These allegations were further fueled by accusations from the United States, suggesting that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was not being transparent about the situation. Reports indicated that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned substances prior to the Tokyo Olympics. Despite these challenges, the Chinese swimmers have continued to perform well, although their achievements have been met with skepticism. Following the medley event, British swimmer Adam Peaty openly criticized the Chinese team, raising doubts about their integrity. Swim legend Michael Phelps also weighed in on the issue, stating, 'If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry. I believe one and done. ' However, for the Chinese swimming team and their millions of supporters, the gold medal victory was a moment of joy and validation. The hashtag 'China winning gold medal at 4x100m medley relay' garnered an impressive 760 million views on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform. One comment that resonated with many stated, 'China's gold medals are squeaky clean; we won it with our competence! ' Another comment reflected the immense pressure the team has faced, saying, 'It's been so hard for the Chinese swimming team. ' This pressure has been particularly evident in the remarks made by Pan Zhanle, a rising star in Chinese swimming who swam the crucial anchor leg of the relay and also set a new world record in the men's 100m freestyle final. After his victory, Pan, who was not among those who tested positive, expressed his feelings of being looked down upon by some foreign swimmers. He mentioned an incident where Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers snubbed him when he attempted to greet him. Despite Pan's remarkable performance, former Australian Olympic swimmer Brett Hawke questioned the legitimacy of his record-breaking swim, stating on Instagram that it was not 'humanly possible to beat that field. ' Additionally, German athlete Angelina Köhler raised doubts about the performance of Zhang Yufei, another Chinese swimmer who won a bronze medal and was also among the 23 who had previously tested positive. Köhler reportedly commented that 'stories like that always have a bad flavor. ' Zhang Yufei, a prominent figure in Chinese swimming, responded defiantly, asking why Chinese swimmers are questioned for their speed while no one dared to question Michael Phelps when he achieved eight gold medals. The tension surrounding the issue has extended beyond the swimming pool. China's anti-doping agency, Chinada, issued a statement accusing the US anti-doping agency, Usada, of double standards. They highlighted the case of US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who tested positive for a banned substance earlier this year but was not suspended. The arbitrator determined that his positive result was likely due to contaminated meat, similar to the situation faced by the Chinese swimmers. Meanwhile, Chinese fans have taken to social media to express their anger. Adam Peaty's Instagram account has been inundated with critical comments, and even his girlfriend's account has not been spared from the backlash. One comment questioned why he was only targeting China and not other countries that also performed well. Brett Hawke, now a swimming coach, has also faced a wave of angry comments on his Instagram account. In response, he deleted a video he initially posted about Pan and has limited comments on his posts. In a recent post about the men's medley results, he simply stated, 'Chinese men are victorious!