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Lo Hoi-ying

A surprise encounter with Olympic ski champion Eileen Gu left China’s top divers star-struck at the Paris Olympics, with gold medallist Quan Hongchan blushing in admiration.
Quan’s jaw dropped when Gu approached her and teammate Chen Yuxin after a press conference, with the 17-year-old covering her mouth and hopping excitedly.
“You are so beautiful, I’m so happy! You are so bright you are sparkling!” Quan exclaimed.
“You caught my eyes at first sight! This is the first time I am blushing so hard!”
“SHE IS ONE OF US FR,” one netizen wrote of Quan’s relatable fangirl behaviour.

💬 Quan Hongchan when she met Eileen Gu:
“YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AAA IM SO HAPPY!!🥹🥹 YOU’RE SO BRIGHT, YOU ARE SPARKLING!!!🤩✨
YOU LITERALLY CATCH MY EYES AT FIRST SIGHT❤️😳 SHOULD I SAY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME MY FACE GOT BLUSHED….😳😳😳😳😳”
SHE IS ONE OF US FR😭 pic.twitter.com/sLuuoZi5DB
— lev (@hejiathinks) August 1, 2024

Quan had gushed about Gu at the press briefing after the medal ceremony, and said she looked up to Gu, who was in the audience.
“She is so excellent and so beautiful,” Quan told reporters with a timid smile.
She also shyly admitted that she likes Chinese singer Huang Zitao, a former member of Korean boy band EXO, for his humour and good looks.
Gu had won gold medals in Big Air and half-pipe as well as a silver in slopestyle in the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, and was in the audience for Quan and Chen’s event.

Three Winter Olympics medalist #EileenGu surprisingly appears to congratulate Chinese gold 🏅️ divers dive Quan Hongchan/Chen Yuxi on winning to the women's synchronized 10m platform title at #Paris2024    #谷爱凌 #全红婵 #陈宇汐pic.twitter.com/EIFAkXwRuF
— Zhang Meifang (@CGMeifangZhang) August 1, 2024

Quan was reluctant to let go of their hug and leaned her head on Gu’s shoulder as photographers flocked to capture the three athletes together.
She then held up her plushies in a victory pose and declared to the press: “I finally met her in person!”
Quan herself went viral during the World Aquatic Championships earlier this year, shocking the audience with her “splash-disappearing technique.”

Quan Hongchan's technique of disappearing water splashes stunned a group of foreigners.
She didn't startle the water splashes, but amazed the whole world! pic.twitter.com/ugaOy62wb2
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) July 29, 2024

The 17-year-old diver became an overnight sensation in China after she won her first Olympic gold in Tokyo in the women’s 10-metre platform event.
She turned into an internet darling for her adorable and quirky behaviour outside the pool, and her love for turtle stuffed toys which turned her backpack into a zoo.
Quan and Chen won the women’s synchronised 10-metre platform event on Wednesday with a score of 359.10, with North Korea and Great Britain finishing far behind at 315.90 and 304.38 respectively.
The duo took home China’s 50th Olympic diving gold medal of all time.
Both Chen and Quan will compete in the individual event as Quan was the defending champion.


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Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

The Buzz

Aquatics

China

Quan Hongchan ’s jaw dropped when Gu approached her and teammate Chen Yuxin after a press conference


Quan Hongchan ’s jaw dropped when Gu approached her and teammate Chen Yuxin after a press conference, with the 17-year-old covering her mouth and hopping excitedly.


Swimming

Eileen Gu