Olympic diver, 16, left judges completely stunned with 'no splash' dive to claim gold
An Olympic diver left judges completely stunned by producing a 'no splash' dive to win a gold medal at a meeting.
Chinese star Quan Hongchan, now 17, won two gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics 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 athlete Chen Yuxi, who partnered with Quan to win gold in the synchro event.
Quan's fourth dive racked up an incredible score of 92.40 - the highest achieved by any diver in the final.
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China won all eight gold medals on offer in diving at the Olympics, meaning they had achieved one of their main goals heading into the Games.
Quan had long been considered a rising star heading into the Games, having already won 10m platform gold at Tokyo 2020 at the age of just 13.
She scored even more points in that final, with four of her five dives being scored at over 90.
Her reputation for producing 'no splash' dives even coined a new phrase in the sport - the 'water splash disappearance technique'.
And months prior to Paris 2024, she scooped gold in the 10m platform event at the Diving World Cup with one of her now-trademark dives.
Quan 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.
You can see the dive below.
Stars of the sport might make such dives look simple and almost robotic at times, something which can only be achieved through many hours of training.
But speaking to CGTN in 2022 after winning two golds in Paris, Quan revealed that she had in fact struggled with the very move that produced a perfect 10 at the Diving World Cup.
She explained: "What's often overlooked is that we each grapple with individual challenges during our training.
"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. Ocassionally, the force of the water or a poor grip can cause unintentional injuries."
Topics: Olympics
Ryan Smart