An Olympic diver left those in attendance at the Diving World Cup, including the panel of judges, in complete awe after she produced a remarkable 'no splash' dive.
China's Quan Hongchan, now 18, 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 4.90 higher than fellow Chinese athlete Chen Yuxi, who partnered with Quan to win gold in the much-anticipated synchro event.
Quan's fourth dive racked up an impressive score of 92.40 – the highest achieved by any diver in the final and a moment that cemented her status as one of the world's best.
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The teenager was considered a rising star heading into the Games, having already won 10m platform gold at Tokyo 2020 at the age of just 13.
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 won a gold medal in the 10m platform event at the Diving World Cup with one of her now-trademark dives.
Quan completed a 3.3 'back three-and-a-half somersaults tuck' (known as the 207C), with no noticeable splash from the water upon entry, meaning it was performed at the perfect angle.
You can see the dive below.
A professional diver might make it look simple at times but speaking to CGTN in 2022 after winning two golds in Paris, Quan revealed that she had 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."
She added: "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."
More than a year after her 'no splash' dive at the Diving World Cup and Quan was ruled out of the World Aquatics Championships this summer because of a serious ankle injury.
Topics: Olympics
Jack Kenmare