China’s internet erupted with joy and pride on Monday as the nation’s swimmers ended the United States’ decades-long dominance in the men’s 4×100 meters medley at the Olympics. This remarkable victory comes amidst intense scrutiny due to a doping controversy surrounding the Chinese swim team.

Pan Zhanle, who set a world record in the 100m freestyle last week, propelled China from third to first in the final leg of the relay on Sunday, overtaking his American and French rivals in a stunning reversal. Pan completed his leg in 45.92 seconds, faster than his previous 46.40 seconds in the 100m final. Team USA finished 0.55 seconds behind, marking their first failure to secure gold in this event since the 1980 Moscow Olympics boycott, thus ending their unbeaten streak that began with the men’s medley debut at the 1960 Games.

This victory is China’s second gold in swimming at the Paris Olympics, following Pan’s record-setting win last Wednesday. However, outside China, their success has been met with skepticism from some quarters of the elite swimming community.

The Chinese swim team has faced immense pressure after revelations that nearly half the group sent to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had tested positive for a banned substance months earlier. The athletes were cleared by China’s Anti-Doping Agency, which attributed the positive tests to contamination from a hotel restaurant. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted this assessment without appeal.

Social media in China buzzed with excitement following the historic win. Discussions dominated platforms like Weibo, with the hashtag “Pan Zhanle’s stunning reversal” amassing over 500 million views. Pan, who turned 20 on Sunday, referred to the team gold medal as his birthday present. “I fulfilled the promise I made a year ago by celebrating my 20th birthday with a team gold medal,” he wrote in a viral post on Weibo, where he now boasts 1.6 million followers.

In a post-race interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Pan praised his teammates despite some expressing dissatisfaction with their earlier performances. “The race is over, and the championship is ours. It shouldn’t be us who are dissatisfied; it should be the others,” he said.

Despite the jubilation in China, overseas doubts persist. British triple Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty called for stricter doping testing following the relay event. “I think we’ve got to have faith in the system, but we also don’t,” he said. “I think it’s just got to be stricter.”

Peaty emphasized the importance of fair play, stating, “One of my favorite quotes I’ve seen lately is there’s no point in winning if you don’t win it fair. And I think you know that truth in your heart. Even if you touch and you know you’re cheating, you don’t win it, right?”

As the Chinese team continues to face scrutiny, Pan Zhanle and his teammates remain celebrated figures at home, where their victory is seen as a testament to their strength and resilience.