Olympic diving gold medalist and popular figure among the audience, Quan Hongchan, recently skipped the national team winter training due to injuries. Instead, she stayed at her home in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her family. This move, which was out of sync with the national team training schedule, has sparked rumors once again about Quan Hongchan possibly choosing to retire from the national team.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year (February 17), Quan Hongchan’s mother personally responded to the rumors of her daughter’s retirement in Zhanjiang.
During the Chinese New Year, Quan Hongchan reunited with her parents and family at her hometown. From New Year’s Eve to the first day of the new year, there were always a lot of visitors gathering outside her house, even at night.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Quan Hongchan went out with her father on an electric scooter to the market for shopping.
Regarding whether Quan Hongchan felt disturbed by the attention from many netizens, her mother told reporters, “People come with good intentions, so we dare not say it’s disturbing. However, we are too busy to accompany all of you. Thank you for your concern for my daughter.”
As for the most pressing issue of retirement, Quan Hongchan’s mother mentioned, “I won’t interfere, she can decide for herself.” She also revealed that her daughter had already returned home several times this year, so the length of her stay for the Lunar New Year didn’t matter much to her, “I don’t care about when she goes back out again.”
Since the World Cup final in May last year, Quan Hongchan has not returned to the national team. In November last year, she won a team gold medal at the National Games. When asked if she would continue diving in the future, she laughed and said, “Let’s see.”
At the time, Quan Hongchan’s mother mentioned that she wouldn’t press for answers, she just has extra concern for her daughter. If she can continue diving, she will support it. If she wants to retire, she should come back to study well.
In September last year, Quan Hongchan enrolled in sports training at Jinan University. She has mostly stayed in her hometown, occasionally visiting Beijing twice, but she missed the entire winter training of the diving team and didn’t attend the national team’s Lunar New Year celebration.
Quan Hongchan’s mother expressed that rather than winning championships, she only hopes for her daughter’s health and happiness.