Olympic gold medallist Quan Hongchan may be renowned for her perfect dives, but her fame recently led to a troubling encounter with overzealous fans.
On Sunday (1 Sep), the 17-year-old found herself in an unsettling situation when she was mobbed by fans at the Galaxy Macau Hotel.
Quan, who was casually dressed and wore a hat and mask, was trying to maintain a low profile while out with her teammates as part of the Chinese National Olympic Athlete Delegation’s visit to Macau.
However, a large group of fans still managed to recognise her when she returned to the hotel, Sin Chew Daily reported.
The crowd quickly gathered, with many raising their phones to take photos, forcing Quan to seek refuge in the women’s restroom.
Shockingly, one man even followed her inside, while others waited outside.
The situation quickly escalated, prompting hotel security to step in.
A female security guard addressed the crowd, urging them to give the young athlete some space.
She said: “You scared her, she is crying inside. Please step back, she promised us that she would come out to take a photo with you, but we must line up. If you continue this behaviour, there will be no photo.”
Shortly after, a member of the national diving team arrived, and security guards formed a human chain to safely escort Quan back to her room via the elevator lobby.
Source: Kwong Wah Yit Poh
The incident sparked outrage among Chinese netizens, who condemned the behaviour of the fans, describing them as “terrible” and “maddening”.
Many called for athletes to be given more personal space.
“I hope everyone can be rational in chasing sports stars, and any besieging behaviour should be stopped,” one netizen wrote.
Source: Olympics
Quan won her first Olympic gold in 2020 at the age of 14 and recently added two more to her collection.
She’s famous for her “water splash disappearance” technique, which consistently earns her perfect 10s.
Also read: Chinese Olympian buys phone for mum, gets flak for choosing iPhone over Huawei
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Featured image adapted from 小然 on YouTube.
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