From playground to perfection

Q. Did you dream of attending the Olympic Games one year ago?

A: I had no idea. I competed in my first Chinese National Championships on Oct 4, 2020. It was the first national-level meet held after the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a teenage diver, I completed all five category dives three weeks before the championships. My Guangdong team coach, He Weiyi, told me to gain some experience, but I snatched the 10m platform gold by beating some big names, including Rio Olympic champion Ren Qian, and world champions Chen Yuxi and Zhang Jiaqi. At the end of 2020, I was recruited to the national team but I had technical problems and had some ups and downs as I finished fifth in the second leg of Olympic qualification in January 2021 and placed second in a national meet in March, and then gold at the third-leg qualifiers in May. If the Tokyo Olympic Games were held as scheduled, I would not have made the team, because I was under the 14-year-old age limit and I hadn't learned the full routine.

Q: How do you feel national competitions compare with the Olympic Games?

A: I felt more nervous at the Olympics. I had never competed in a foreign country. I stayed in the athletes' village, but could not sleep at night. I was scared to enter the Tokyo Aquatics Center because it was too big for me. I was like a Lilliputian diving in a giant world. Fortunately, the 10m platform competition was held two weeks after our arrival and I had enough time to get used to the venue. Coach Liu Ben tried hard to help me relax and switch my attention to other things. He kept telling jokes and other divers' stories. That helped me a lot. Chen Yuxi also guided me through the whole competition, just like my elder sister.

Q: What was on your mind during the final? Did you notice your perfect marks?

A: I made some mistakes in the preliminaries and my coach gave me more technical instructions in the semifinal and final. I listened to his words carefully and followed his cues in my five dives. I didn't have spare time to think about other things, including the scores.

Q: When you saw the big screen with your name, what was your reaction? Did you know that you set the record highest score in this event of 466.20 points?

A: I didn't know the record. It was beyond my expectations. I couldn't believe my eyes. Only after my coach lifted me up and everyone congratulated me, I started to realize I had won gold. I was in shock. It was an unbelievable moment that I will never forget.

Q: It seems like you have some sort of special magic on entry to eliminate the splash. How do you do that?

A: I only produced a few perfect entries during training. I think I performed beyond my ability in the final. I was too excited.

Q: As a 14-year-old debutant, how did your family members encourage you before the Games?

A: My parents told me to forget about the scores, and concentrate on my own dives.

Q: How did you celebrate your victory as an Olympic champion?

A: In many ways. My mom had a car accident four years ago and went to hospital frequently. I wanted to earn more money to help cure her. My gold medal is the best gift for her. I want to eat my favorite snacks as much as possible, and I want to go to the amusement park after our National Games. I'd like to play the doll-grasp machine and grab many dolls. I had a wish to own a small grocery store in my hometown, but now my dream is upgraded to a supermarket. But the most important thing is to prepare for our National Games which will be held in September.

Xinhua