In the latest issue of the magazine “People”, Olympic champion Quan Hongxian faced the topic of retirement for the first time in an interview, revealing the immense psychological pressure she once endured under the halo of “child prodigy”.
On March 28, Quan Hongxian celebrated her 19th birthday.
In the interview with “People”, Quan Hongxian talked about her pressure, confusion, and the cautious steps she is taking on the path to adulthood, mentioning the troubles caused by weight issues.
She revealed that in 2025, her biggest trouble was her weight. Despite starving herself by only eating one meal a day to lose weight, her weight remained high.
At the same time, the external voices never ceased. For a long time, Quan Hongxian dared not wear her favorite dresses and shorts, hiding her limbs in long-sleeved clothes.
She was afraid to step on the scale, and also feared facing the camera. Even when looking in the mirror, she would resist and be unhappy with her body. This anxiety evolved into a dual physical and psychological trauma: she suffered from insomnia, nightmares, often dreaming of “falling from the diving platform,” and when standing on the familiar diving platform, “movements that were once not feared become frightening.”
Quan Hongxian choked with tears as she recounted these experiences. She expressed a hope for netizens to “stop scolding me, stop scolding my family, stop scolding my friends.”
Quan Hongxian admitted that after the Paris Olympics, both her body and mind were pushed to the limit: “The string has been stretched to the limit, too tired, physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, and the exhaustion inside the heart, all kinds of exhaustion accumulate together.” Due to the out-of-control weight and public pressure, she “really wants to retire”.
Facing speculations from the public about “whether to retire”, “whether to go to school”, “whether to become a coach,” Quan Hongxian responded, “Actually, I have thought about all of them, but I am not sure. I can only say that at the moment, I want to rest, I want to adjust my condition well, rest well, and think about what to do next.”
Quan Hongxian said, “I still want to keep diving.”
An article by sports blogger “Lord of Football Leagues” indicated that the above interview broke through the defenses of countless netizens. For the first time, everyone saw that behind the girl who was as graceful as an elf on the diving platform, winning Olympic gold medals, there was such a heavy psychological burden.
Netizens expressed their sympathy in comments: “Genius can also face so many difficulties,” “Hongxian, you’ve worked hard, no matter what choice you make, we support you,” “Being able to persevere is already remarkable, looking forward to your next brilliance.”
Public records show that Quan Hongxian was born on March 28, 2007, started learning diving at the age of 7, joined the Guangdong diving team at 11, and was selected for the national team at 13.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the then 14-year-old Quan Hongxian won the gold medal in the women’s individual 10-meter platform diving. At the Paris Olympics, Quan Hongxian won two gold medals in the women’s 10-meter platform diving and women’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving, becoming the youngest Olympic triple champion.
In September 2025, Quan Hongxian became a freshman at Jinan University.