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China’s champion diver Quan Hongchan takes a break from real-life celebrity and online fame
- Tokyo Olympics star and China’s ‘Little Sister’ is a 14-year-old who is ready to spend time with family and find time for play
- Hongchan’s growing fame coincides with China’s campaign to clamp down on celebrity culture and fandom – prompting a protective reflex from some fans
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Quan Hongchan exhaled and walked towards the end of the platform in the Xian Olympic Sports Centre for her final dive. Barely glancing at the pool 10 metres below, she turned around, balancing on the platform’s edge.
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Her back to the water, she sprang off the platform into a 1½ twist and hugged her legs close to her chest as she somersaulted in the air. Just as quickly, she went for her dive with legs straight up in the air and toes curled in, piercing the water’s surface cleanly.
Crowds from her native Guangdong province waved banners and cheered poolside at the National Games, as did millions in China who first became fans of the 14-year-old after she won the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Games and broke the Olympic record with a combined score of 466.20.
But after months of training and competing – including in the National Games 10-metre platform team event that she also won – Hongchan was ready for home, in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, an important family event in the Chinese calendar.
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“I want to see mum and dad first. Then I’ll want to go and play,” she told state broadcaster CCTV after her events last weekend, speaking in Mandarin with a Zhanjiang Cantonese accent.
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