Olympic diver, 16, left judges completely stunned with 'no splash' dive to win gold medal
An Olympic diver stunned judges, commentators and fans by producing a 'no splash' dive to win a gold medal at a meeting.
Quan Hongchan claimed two gold medals at last summer's Olympics in Paris, medalling in the 10m women's team synchro and 10m individual platform events.
Her score in the individual platform event was just 4.90 higher than fellow Chinese diver Chen Yuxi, who teamed up with Quan to win gold in the synchro event.
Quan's fourth dive registered an impressive score of 92.40 - the highest achieved by any diver in the final.
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China collected all eight gold medals in the diving event at the Olympics, meaning they had achieved one of their main goals heading into the 2024 Olympics.
Quan entered the Paris Games as a star athlete following her heroics at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she won gold in the 10m platform, aged just 13.
She scored even more points in that final, with four of her five dives recording a score of over 90.
Her reputation for producing 'no splash' dives even coined a new phrase in the sport - the 'water splash disappearance technique'.
She has twice redefined the benchmark of elite diving by winning back-to-back 10m platform golds.
Before the 2024 Olympics, Quan showed off her now-trademark dives as she won gold in the 10m platform event at the Diving World Cup.
She performed a 3.3 'back three-and-a-half somersaults tuck' (known as the 207C), with no noticeable splash from the water upon entry, which was at the perfect angle.
In 2022, Quan revealed that she had in fact struggled with the very move that produced a perfect 10 at the Diving World Cup.
"What's often overlooked is that we each grapple with individual challenges during our training," she explained.
"We all have a particular move that instils a sense of fear. Since the year 2022, I've always been struggling with the 207C move.
"Slamming flat into the water is very painful. It feels like many ants crawling over your body. Occasionally, the force of the water or a poor grip can cause unintentional injuries."
Topics: Olympics
Nasir Jabbar