Chinese diving star Chen Yuxi says she has received threats, denies she ‘has connections’

Chen Yuxi, the 20-year-old Olympic diving champion, has opened up on social media about facing online abuse, being threatened with doxxing and people trying to create a rift within the Chinese diving team. Chen also spoke out against claims that she has special “connections” in the sport through her family. The video was released on her social media accounts on Wednesday after Chen was named World Aquatics’ 2025 Female Diver of the Year earlier this month. Chen won the accolade after a return to form following a difficult period in the wake of the Paris Olympics last year. In Paris, she won gold in the 10m synchronised platform with Quan Hongchan. She also won silver in the individual 10m platform event, but faced intense public pressure and injuries afterwards and had to deal with online abuse. At the Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing in May and at the Singapore World Championships in July, Chen won gold in the women’s 10m platform, synchronised 10m and mixed team events. But, Chen said in the tearful 10-minute video interview, “this year has not been easy”. “After the Paris Olympics, I never thought I could stand on the 10-metre platform again. The pressure made me want to escape,” she recalled. In the interview, the reporter said Chen has been subjected to among the longest and most intense episodes of online harassment of any Chinese athlete. Chen also spoke about a doxxing incident earlier in her career. Doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organisation, usually via the internet and without their consent. “On the night before one of my individual finals, someone sent me a message listing all my personal details, including my ID number and phone number,” Chen said. “I didn’t know what it meant and was very scared, so I reported it to the team immediately.” In September, China’s Ministry of Public Security reported 10 cases of cybercrime and solved a case of online abuse against a Shanghai diver. According to the ministry, in May, several netizens insulted and defamed a diver and faced criminal penalties – it was revealed that Chen was the victim. Chen is often described in media as coming from a sporting family: her grandfather was a well-known gymnast, her father is a senior gymnastics coach at a youth sports school in Shanghai, and her mother is an associate professor at Shanghai University of Sport. This background has led to accusations that she “has connections”. Chen said with a hint of frustration that if she performed well, people accused her of benefiting from relationships with referees, but if her results were not good, she was criticised for lacking ability. “No matter how I perform, there are always baseless rumours,” she said, smiling through tears. “People think I have a privileged background just because my parents are coaches.” Chen has closed some comment sections on her social media, as she does not want to see negative remarks about herself, her coaches or those around her.” Since the Tokyo Olympics, Chen and teammate Quan have won honours for China as a pair and have often produced high-level contests in individual events. However, their rivalry has been exaggerated by some online abusers. “Most comments are friendly, but there is a small group trying to create division, which is not good for Chinese diving,” Chen said. “We are all good teammates, and we are all competing for China.” She said some people have tried to frame her and Quan as rivals in every context, whether it was competition, training or daily life. But she said their relationship was “not something these comments can affect”, and described Quan as “a source of support”, adding that even if she did not perform well, Quan was always there. “She [Quan] is also caught in the centre of public opinion. We both face difficulties, so I hope the public can be kinder to us.” In November, at the National Games, Chen led from start to finish in the women’s 10m platform, winning her first solo National Games title. “Time gives the answer,” she said. “Returning to competition has helped me grow a lot.”

Chinese diving star Chen Yuxi says she has received threats, denies she ‘has connections’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Olympic champion says in a tearful 10-minute video interview she has also faced online abuse, ‘doxxing’ and people trying to cause rifts

Olympic champion says in a tearful 10-minute video interview she has also faced online abuse, ‘doxxing’ and people trying to cause rifts