CHINA – The growing love for 14-year-old Quan Hongchan seems to know no bounds as the public continues to shower the young Olympic diving champion with an outpouring of care and attention after her gold-medal winning achievement at the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where the charismatic teenager delivered three perfect-10 dives for the women’s 10m platform event.
Crowds of fans have flocked to her home village of Maihe, in Guangdong province, to take photos and videos, turning her home into an ‘Internet photo hotspot’ that has been viewed more than 25 million times. Not only has the young athlete’s village been transformed into a tourist location, some have gone so far as to stake out overnight to ‘livestream’ videos and knock on her door to request for selfies. As these large crowds violated Covid-19 control measures that have been put in place to battle China’s growing epidemic, the village is now closed to visitors.
Since the public learnt about her humble background and the effort she has made to help her ailing mother − who had been admitted to hospital many times after a serious car accident in 2017 − by learning to dive, Quan’s home has received overwhelming support in the form of cash and gifts from across the country, including food items, such as Quan’s favourite snack, latiao, which are strips of wheat flour cooked and seasoned with chili.
“My mum is ill. I just want to make money to get her medical treatment,” Quan said in Tokyo. “I need to make a lot of money to cure her illness.”
Businesses have also come forward with generous offers, such as free annual membership cards for the Chinese diving team after Quan mentioned that she had never had the opportunity to visit a zoo or an amusement park because she spent all her time in training.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday that the girl’s father, Quan Wenmao, who supports the family with a meagre salary derived from orange farming, declined numerous offers, including that of a flat, a commercial property and 200,000 yuan (RM130,734).
“I thank them for coming. But I did not take anything. I did not take a penny,” he was quoted as saying three days after his daughter won gold in the Olympics. He also urged the flock of people who have flooded his town to stay home. “They can just send their regards. There’s no need to come here. It’s disturbing their lives and ours too, isn’t it?” he asked.
Quan, who started diving when she was seven years old, has been practising 400 dives every day at the Zhanjiang Sports School in Guangdong, according to media reports. The Tokyo Olympics was her international debut after she joined the Chinese national team less than a year ago. – The Vibes, August 12, 2021
