Quan Hongchan won gold in the women’s 10m platform final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 6 (Photo: China News Service/Fu Tian)
(ECNS)– 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan, the youngest domestic athlete to win three Olympic gold medals, secured two golds in the women’s 10m platform final and women’s synchronized 10m platform final at the Paris 2024 Olympics and a gold medal in the women’s 10m platform final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
However, she faced criticism even though she achieved great success.
Recently, during a live streaming interview, a reporter questioned whether Quan would “live like an idiot” after retiring from diving. Many netizens interpreted this as an insult. As a young athlete, Quan remained silent.
In addition to such criticism, Quan has also endured physical challenges that come with her intense training.
Since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Quan has added almost 10 centimeters in height and her weight has increased accordingly. To meet the challenge of growth, she repeatedly struggled with a 207C dive, a very difficult move which has caused her considerable stress.
To master 207C, Quan gave up snacks and trained intensely to counteract the effects of physical development, practicing again and again until she finally conquered this difficult move.
During competitions, Quan used some psychological adjustment methods. For example, she took deep breaths to ease the pressure and focused more on competitions to deliver her best performance.
In an interview, a reporter said that some people labeled her a “prodigy”. Quan replied, “I’m not a prodigy. It’s about practicing over and over again, and it’s been hard along the way.”
Besides her personal efforts, a positive family environment also gave her immense support.
Quan’s hometown is a small village called Maihe in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, where her family mainly depended on growing fruit for a living. With many children in the family and little profit from farming, they lived in poverty.
Quan’s outstanding performance at the Tokyo Olympics allowed her to earn money to pay for her mother and grandfather’s medical treatments. Today, she sends home thousands of yuan every month to support her family’s living expenses.
Quan’s brother, Quan Jinhua, changed his career to become a live streamer. Many people thought that he could exploit his sister’s fame for financial gain, but Quan replied that as his younger sister, she is not a resource for him to make money.
Quan has not been home for a long time due to training. Her mother said in an interview, “She is not only a child of mine but also of our nation. We are very happy to see her striving for the motherland.”
Mutual understanding and support between her family members provides unparalleled emotional comfort, allowing Quan to remain calm wherever she is.
Quan is only 17 this year, and her future holds limitless possibilities.
“Chase your dreams if you have them. Don’t fear failure!” Quan encourages people with diving dreams.
