China’s youngest Olympian wins national respect for spirit

On Thursday afternoon, 14-year-old Quan Hongchan, the youngest athlete of Team China this year, won the women's 10-meter platform diving event, with her teammate Chen Yuxi claiming silver. The nation cheered for the girls, as they have become the ninth pair to finish one-two for Team China in Tokyo.

But even before Quan claimed gold, she had already become the center of attention. Not only surprised by her talent, Chinese netizens said they are also impressed by how calm, concentrated and thoughtful she is for her family despite her age.

"I want to thank them [my parents and former coach] for encouraging me to relax and telling me to just go for my dives freely because it doesn't matter whether I get a medal or not," she told media after winning the medal.

Replying on being labeled a diving prodigy, Quan said, "I don't think I'm a prodigy. I don't do well in my studies. You ask me all these questions and there's only a blank in my mind."

Born in a small town in South China's Guangdong Province, the reason why Quan chose to become an athlete is heartbreaking - she wanted to win a prize as early as possible to help her seriously ill mother.

Quan is an ordinary teenage girl who, just like any other Chinese teen, likes to eat snacks and play games on her phone. She said her favorite snack is la tiao or spicy strip and she wants to go to amusement parks after the Games, which she had never been to.

On Friday, media reported that netizens have delivered many boxes of la tiao to her home in Zhanjiang. And many amusements parks announced on China's Twitter-like Weibo that they welcome Quan to come for free.

"You fight at the Olympics for your mom, we will pamper you to the heavens when you come home," one netizen said. Netizens said that all athletes should be respected and loved no matter whether they win a medal or not.

Ahead of the Games, netizens expressed their heartache and respect for Quan, cheering her on while calling her a strong person in life. Later, Quan, who has participated in less than 10 official competitions, won the championship with three out of five dives with perfect scores.

"It is definitely not just talent. Who knows how hard she practiced and how much she paid to reach a score like this. She deserves all the praise," wrote one netizen after witnessing Quan's performance.