After winning the gold medal with three perfect scores in the women's 10-metre platform final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Quan Hongchan has charmed her way straight into the nation's heart.
Before all kinds of interview cameras, the 14-year-old girl said she was even more nervous than leaping off the 10-metre platform. She never thought of being a huge star on social media. She just told she must dive perfectly so that she could win some money for her mom's treatment.
Quan was born and raised in the rural village of Maihe, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. The family has five kids. Her parents had to work hard for their kids. But unluckily, in 2017, her mother was injured in a car accident on the way back from her work. From then on, Quan's father alone had to pay all the money for both the kids' education and Mom's medical bills. After knowing that, many fans and companies offered to help Quan's family.
During a visit to Maihe Primary School, Chen Huaming, the diving coach at Zhanjiang Sports School, noticed Quan. "Actually, she is a very talented athlete." Chen said, "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." Chen was pleased he found a true talent.
But Quan's father said "I don't agree only her talent makes her successful. If she didn't work hard, she couldn't be successful. If her coach didn't train her strictly, she couldn't get the gold medal."
Quan's story and her success have won the heart of the nation. She is very great. We should learn from her.
