'Find it a bit weird': Kyle Chalmers responds to claims made by Chinese gold medal winner Pan Zhanle

Kyle Chalmers has responded to claims made by Chinese gold medal winner Pan Zhanle following the 100m freestyle final in Paris.

In a Games that had so far failed to produce a single world record, Pan slashed nearly half a second off the 100m freestyle record.

Silver-medallist Chalmers finished more than a second behind him.

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Chinese swimmers are competing in Paris under a cloud after it was revealed 23 tested positive to a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics, but were still allowed to compete. Pan was not one of them.

Speaking to media including Wide World of Sports in Paris, Chalmers was asked directly if he believed the record was clean.

"Yeah. I do everything I possibly can to win the race, and I trust that everyone's doing the same as I am and staying true the integrity of sport," he said.

"I trust it, I trust that he's done everything he possibly can to be there and he deserves that gold medal.

"I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal and be on the top of podium. I'm silver and I'm just as happy with that."

Pan had only just squeezed into the semi-finals a day earlier when he clocked a 48.4 in the heats to qualify 15th of 16 qualifiers. His time in the final was two seconds quicker.

"It's crazy, I did everything I possibly could to execute an amazing race," Chalmers said.

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"The last 15m breathing towards him, I thought I could be dead last because he's so far ahead of me.

"For him to produce a 46.4 and break the world record in the Olympic final is incredible compared to (Tuesday night AEST) going 48.4 in the heat and almost missing it.

"It's great that he's able to reset and refocus and swim so fast tonight."

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting Pan in his poolside interview with Chinese media accused Chalmers of snubbing him earlier in the meeting, and American Jack Alexy - who finished seventh in the final - of splashing water on one of his coaches during a training session.

"On the first day, at the 4x100 relay, after we finished swimming I greeted Chalmers. He didn't pay me any attention at all," Pan supposedly told China Central Television.

Chalmers has since responded to those claims and was surprised by his rival's recollection of their time competing in Paris.

"I find it a bit weird," he said.

"I gave him a fist pump before the relays ... and then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warm down last night.

"No issues on my end."

Australian Olympian-turned swimming coach Brett Hawke however questioned the legitimacy of Pan's world-record smashing swim.

In a passionate video posted to his Instagram, Hawke, who swam for Australia in the Sydney and Athens Games, said Pan's swim was "not humanly possible".

"Listen, I'm just going to be honest. I am angry at that swim, I'm angry for a number of reasons," he began.

"My friends are the fastest swimmers in history – from Rowdy Gaines to Alex Popov to Gary Hall Jr, Anthony Irvin, all the way up to King Kyle Chalmers.

"I know these people intimately, I've studied them for 30 years. I've studied this sport. I've studied speed. I understand it. I'm an expert in it, that's what I do, okay?

"I'm upset right now because you don't win 100m freestyle by a body length on that field. You just don't do it.

"It's not humanly possible to beat that field by a body length, okay? It's not.

"I don't care what you say – this is not a race thing, this is not against any one particular person or any nation, this is just what I see and what I know.

"These are my friends, these are the people I've studied, this is the work I've put in for 30 years. I understand it.

"That's not real, you don't beat that field – Kyle Chalmers, David Popovici, Jack Alexy – you don't beat those guys by one full body length in 100 freestyle. That's not humanly possible, okay?

"So don't sell it to me, don't shove it down my throat. It's not real."

Having earlier brushed questions about the legitimacy of Pan's win, Chalmers 'liked' Hawke's post.

Chalmers said Pan told him after the race he was his "idol".

"Last year, I remember walking out before the final of the world championships, he actually came up to me, and I didn't know he spoke any English at that stage, he said 'Kyle, I have so much respect for you. You're my idol'. Which was really nice.

"And then again tonight after the race, I congratulated him and he said 'oh, you are my idol'.

"I look at him the same as every competitor. I want to be the very best no matter what, and I want to beat everyone, no matter the question marks or eyebrows raised.

"A swim of 46.4 is amazing - it's a time that I probably never dreamed or saw as possible."