"You need to devote a massive amount of time, fully immersing yourself in training for your sport. It's about understanding what you've learned each day, what you've practiced, and where you still fall short. You have to do this day after day to become the best athlete in the world," he said.

"Just like in everyday life, swimming presents many challenges and solutions. It has definitely taught me to face difficulties head-on. There's always a solution," Pan added.

After he shot to global fame in Paris with his "not humanly possible" world record-smashing feat, he has been embarking on all sorts of new experiences, including visits to Hong Kong and Macao with other Chinese mainland Olympic medalists, and photo-shoots for fashion magazines.

"Although it's been tiring recently, I've been trying all sorts of new things, which I find quite interesting. Moving forward, I'll have fun when it's time to rest, and train hard when it's time to compete. I can switch between these modes," he said.

Pan added that, now that he has reached the pinnacle of the 100m freestyle, he might try his hand at some other disciplines, such as the 200m, 400m or 50m freestyle in the future.

Tracking Success delivers the inside story for global sports fans, exploring what makes elite performers tick, and providing insight into their biggest and most intriguing moments on and off the field of play.

xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn