GUANGZHOU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- When asked how it feels to win a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, Quan Hongchan, a 14-year-old diver, did not give the standard answer of "I am thrilled." Instead, she said, "I felt a bit of pain under my arms," describing the moment her coach lifted her up to celebrate.

With three perfect-10 dives, the Chinese Olympian won gold in the women's 10m platform with a whopping 466.20 points, the highest in history.

Ever since her win, the youngest member of the Chinese delegation has attracted public adoration and national fame -- both for her swift plunges that barely create a ripple, and her bubbly and frank personality.

On Chinese social media, clips of Quan's interviews have gone viral. "I want to go to the amusement park, play the claw machines and grab many dolls;" "I had a wish to own a small grocery store in my hometown, but now my dream is upgraded to a supermarket," the teenager told Xinhua.

Born in a small village in south China's Guangdong Province, Quan started diving at the age of seven. She joined the provincial diving team in 2018, and made her Olympic debut in Tokyo just a few months after entering the national diving team.

While away from home, the young athlete always brings a light-blue plush toy with a big grin on its face, a gift from her older brother. "It kind of looks like me. Both of us have toothy smiles," the giggling Quan said.

The third of her family's five children, Quan's family never had a lot of extra money. But she never lacked care or affection and this has shaped her into a self-reliant person with perseverance.

"I want to thank my parents for always encouraging me. They told me to be brave, and that it's OK if I can't get a medal," Quan said after claiming gold.

Quan's gratitude also went to Chen Huaming, who discovered the medalist in her home village of fewer than 2,000 people.

Quan's success is also deemed an outcome of China's poverty eradication and rural vitalization initiatives that help nurture the fitness-for-all craze, particularly in the countryside.

Guangdong, for instance, has installed sports and fitness facilities in all of its 19,498 administrative villages, enabling rural children to develop an interest and find their talent in sports.

The state-sponsored network to spot and train athletic talent also provides opportunities for young people to choose competitive sports as a career, Chen said.

The sports and education authorities have ordered preferential measures to be put in place to give athletes better chances to receive quality education and find jobs once they are retired from sports fields.

Such moves will facilitate the all-rounded growth of athletes. Apart from training, Quan attends classes just as her peers do, and she has time for hobbies like skateboarding and dancing.

Quan is among a growing number of Chinese athletes who enjoy rising popularity for both their performances and personal charm. Compared with their predecessors, young athletes today have more resources and are more willing to share stories of their life outside sports fields.

On Sina Weibo, a social media platform, many athletes have updated accounts of their life while being quarantined after returning from Tokyo. The posts hashtagged "athletes' quarantine diaries" have attracted over 850 million views.

Despite all the fame and popularity, being young means there is still a long way to go. For Quan, she will need to compete in a series of national and international contests before the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Puberty is challenging, too. Young divers have to make a lot of adjustments to adapt to their physical growth, according to Gao Min, China's first-ever Olympic springboard champion, who has a high expectation for the young diver.

"I want to be on the top of the Olympic podium again," Quan said. Enditem

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