No flash in the pan

With superstars including Romania's Popovici, American duo Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky, Canada's Summer McIntosh and Ariarne Titmus of Australia all absent, Team China's Doha results should be kept in perspective. Nevertheless, the improvement in the young swimmers' personal bests shows they are undoubtedly trending in the right direction.

Pan, who makes up for a relatively thin build with a super efficient stroke and velocity, said he feels like he has not yet reached his limit with his world-record time.

"With all the effort I've been putting in, it just happened naturally even though I did not expect to do it here in this way," Pan said of his stunning leadoff leg on Feb 12 at the Aspire Dome.

"The first international meet in the Olympic year went quite well for me, providing me with a great confidence boost.

"My goal, however, is to swim faster without setting a limit. I'd like to further improve the world record, to keep it out of reach of any other opponents," added Pan, who first developed as a distance swimmer in the junior ranks.

Born in Zhejiang province, a renowned swimming stronghold in East China, Pan has always been among the hardest-training athletes through the ranks, according to his junior coach, Wang Shi.