Illuminating Every Moment of Perseverance: Quan Hongchan concludes the National Games with one gold and one fifth-place finish, embodying the true spirit of sports.

On the evening of November 6th, Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Swimming and Diving Hall was brightly lit as the women's synchronized 10-meter platform final of the 15th National Games was held. Shanghai Team's Chen Yuxi and Zhang Minjie ranked first in all five rounds, securing a comfortable victory; Guangdong's Quan Hongchan and Wang Weiying finished fifth.

Previously, in the women's team competition on November 2nd, Quan Hongchan also partnered with Wang Weiying to compete in the synchronized 10-meter platform. They delivered three stable dives, achieving a total score of 235.86 points, ranking first and winning the women's team gold medal for Guangdong. Since Quan Hongchan did not register for the subsequent women's individual 10-meter platform event, she ultimately finished the National Games with one gold medal and one fifth-place finish.

Striving and perseverance shine brighter than gold medals.

Standing on the 10-meter diving platform, Quan Hongchan still had a bright smile on her face, but behind this optimism was a pain that was hard for ordinary people to imagine.

"Quan Hongchan currently has injuries to her shinbone and ankle, and she is competing while injured," Guangdong team coach He Weiyi revealed in an interview. "People can't tell from her appearance, but she is covered in kinesiology tape, making training and competition extremely difficult for her. She is in a lot of pain every day and can only rely on repeated ice packs and gritting her teeth to complete each jump."

Even so, this 18-year-old girl still chose to stand on the field, demonstrating her perseverance through her actions.

In a post-competition interview, she said calmly, "I didn't jump well, but I did my best." There was no sob story or complaint; it was as if all the pain was just a trivial footnote on her path to victory.

The charm of sports lies not only in the glory of gold medals, but also in the perseverance and growth shown on the road to success.

The road to a comeback is a battle of wills.

During the 183-day hiatus, Quan Hongchan faced not only injuries, but also the dreaded "developmental hurdle" that female divers dread.

According to data from the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in the 10-meter platform event, for every kilogram increase in an athlete's weight, the rotation speed in the air decreases by 0.1 seconds; and for every centimeter increase in height, the deviation in entry angle may exceed 2 degrees.

Since the Tokyo Olympics, Quan Hongchan has grown nearly 17 centimeters in height and gained 15 kilograms in weight. This means she must use a completely new body to fight against the muscle memory that has already formed. The 207C dive—a back 3½ somersaults tucked—which she used to easily score full marks on, has now become her most unstable element: this dive averaged over 95 points at the Tokyo Olympics, but in the 2025 Diving World Cup events, she only scored 79.2 points in Mexico, and her score dropped to 64.35 points in Windsor, Canada. She also made a mistake on this dive in the Beijing Grand Prix Final.

To control her weight, she weighed herself frequently and strictly adhered to a fixed diet: breakfast consisted of two egg whites and half a slice of bread, lunch consisted of 100 grams of chicken breast and 50 grams of rice, and even her fruit intake had to be precise to the gram.

Despite her still robust physique, the effort she put in to perform at such a high level in the competition is unimaginable. Olympic champion Gao Min expressed her understanding: "You can imagine how demanding she is of herself." Regardless of the outcome, she has already surpassed herself.

Medals may have owners, but the struggle itself has no winners or losers.

After helping the Guangdong team win the women's team gold medal, Quan Hongchan wrote three words on social media: "I'm awesome!"

These three simple words are not a boast of early success, but a response to 183 days of perseverance, a response to all doubts, and more like the deepest affirmation of a warrior who has crossed the front lines and the valleys.

Quan Hongchan's resilience in fighting despite her injury, her courage in facing pressure, and the all-out effort of all the athletes on the diving platform together constitute the most moving testament to the spirit of sports.

The true essence of sportsmanship lies not in always standing at the top, but in holding onto one's passion even when falling, and in bravely moving forward despite adversity. As Quan Hongchan said, "Although I didn't jump perfectly, I still enjoyed the whole competition and was very happy." Her perseverance tells us that true strength is not about never getting injured, but about bravely charging forward despite pain; true success is not about smooth sailing, but about being able to smile and say "I did it" after overcoming thorns.

SCL LED Sports Lighting pays tribute to all athletes who, like Quan Hongchan, strive with all their might! May we all possess such an indomitable spirit—even with injuries, still running towards our goals with all our might!