Diving darling Quan wins nation's heart

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Quan Hongchan of China competes during the women's 10m platform final of diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

Quan Hongchan has dived and charmed her way straight into the nation's heart.

After winning gold with three perfect scores in the women's 10-meter platform final on Thursday, the 14-year-old's endearing interviews and moving revelations about her upbringing have captured the public's imagination perhaps like no other Chinese athlete at the Games.

True to her innocent and unassuming nature, she admitted that speaking in front of the cameras makes her even more nervous than leaping off the platform at the Olympics.

"I just want to eat a lot of delicious food, like spicy gluten strips," said Quan after winning gold. "I'm clumsy, and I'm not good at academic study. I just know how to dive.

"And what's my secret in diving? I don't know. Some people say my splash into the water is even smaller than the splash they make when they throw a dumpling into a pot. I don't know and I never compare it."

Quan, who hails from a family of modest means, was barely known before the Tokyo Olympics. Now she suddenly finds herself a huge star on social media.

By Sunday afternoon, her Weibo account had amassed over half a million followers. The teenager was the subject of around 30 trending topics, ranging from her diving performances to her childhood experiences.

Her interviews have aroused particular interest in her family's predicament.

"My mom is sick now. I don't know how to pronounce the name of her illness. I really want to make more money to help her receive better treatment. I need to make more money, so I can cure her," Quan told a news conference.

Quan was born and raised in the rural village of Maihe, Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. In 2017, her mother was injured in a car accident on the way back from the factory where she worked.

Since then, the medical bills have piled up, and left Quan's father as the family's sole earner. When the accident occurred, Quan had been diving for just three years.

The city of Zhanjiang has been a cradle of elite Chinese divers through the years, producing the likes of Lao Lishi, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, and He Chong, who triumphed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

During a visit to Maihe Primary School, Chen Huaming, the diving coach at Zhanjiang Sports School, noticed Quan was more agile and jumped much higher than the other kids. After giving her a try on a diving board, he instantly knew he had discovered a true talent.

Chen suggested to the youngster that diving could be the answer to her family's financial issues. Immediately, Quan made up her mind to become the best in the sport.

Quan was not the only youngster to impress Chen, but he admitted she was the one that always practiced the hardest.

"Hongchan was just about 7 or 8 years old. She was a little bit confused about how she was able to be there and why I had selected her," Chen told media.

"Actually, she is a very talented athlete. If you looked too hard for such a talent, you might not find one. But somehow, when you don't expect it, she just shows up in front of you.

"Honestly speaking, the condition of our school might be the worst of our province. We did not have any special equipment for Hongchan's training. It was the same for every student in our school."

After four years at the sports school, pure hard work and determination saw Quan selected for the Guangdong provincial team.

In October last year, she won her first national title as a 13-year-old, presenting her with the opportunity to represent her country.

Her participation at Tokyo 2020, however, was only made possible by the postponement of the Games due to the pandemic, thereby enabling the teenager to pass the competition's minimum age limit.

Her preparation for the Games was simple and straightforward.

"I just dived every day. Each day, I needed to practice about seven hours, and some days I practiced for 10 hours," she said.

'Tourist attraction'

Quan's inspirational story has won the heart of the nation. Aside from being inundated with congratulations and messages of support, she has been contacted by numerous organizations, companies and individuals offering to help her family.

Fans have even been mailing spicy gluten strips to Quan's family, with boxes of the snacks piling up and blocking the door to their home.

As well as detailing her favorite food, Quan also told media she has never been to an amusement park or zoo due to her years of training.

That revelation prompted Guangdong's Chime-long Paradise and Chime-long Safari Park to announce on Weibo that the parks will offer annual membership cards for free to all Chinese national diving team members "with VIP-standard services".

Quan's sudden fame has also brought some unwanted attention, with fans flocking to the family home in search of photo opportunities. Experts have voiced concerns that the hysteria could be detrimental to the youngster's development.

"Quan Hongchan's family has become a tourist attraction, and every day nearly a hundred people go there to take photos. Some internet celebrities have even started doing online live broadcasting in front of Quan's family home," read a Chinanews.com commentary.

"As she's still just a teenager, society needs to protect her innocence. We need to shield her from the harmful side effects of social media. After all, Quan is only 14 years old, and there's a long journey ahead of her."

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