Quan faces growing challenge head on

Taller, heavier and tougher — China's diving sensation Quan Hongchan is embracing new challenges brought by her growing pains, with the three-time Olympic champion poised to regain her competitive edge.

Dubbed as the master of the "splash-disappearing technique", Quan has twice redefined the benchmark of elite diving by winning back-to-back 10m platform golds at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, leaving the judges stunned, commentators speechless and fans in awe with full-mark dives defining her early career.

As almost invincible as she appeared in the buildup to Paris, Quan has recently been dealt a tricky challenge from within — the rapid growth of her body frame — as the 18-year-old now measures at least 15 centimeters taller and 10 kilograms heavier than the diminutive prodigy who made some of the world's most difficult dives look effortless at her breakout Games debut in Tokyo.

The pull of gravity, now, feels much stronger, while the control of her spins, velocity and entry angle takes more training and greater strength to perfect, Quan admitted. Errors on dives she never messed up before now happen more frequently, she added.

"I've lost the feeling that I was used to when performing my dives," Quan confessed last week during the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing.