Quan Hongchan (right) — China's diving sensation who has won three Olympic gold medals — trains on Thursday during the 2025 National Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Earlier, Quan helped Team Guangdong successfully defend the women's team gold medal at the 15th National Games, which officially open on Sunday. [Photo/VCG]

Taller and heavier, but still as precise as she has ever been, China's diving sensation Quan Hongchan refuses to be written off at the elite level just yet as she overcomes severe physical challenges to shine at the 15th National Games.

The nation's quadrennial sporting extravaganza, which has kicked off some of its 419 medal events before Sunday's official opening ceremony, is being held across boundaries for the first time — in Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

After being sidelined from competitions for about half a year due to injuries, Quan, a three-time Olympic gold winner, has returned to the spotlight amid doubts about her current level of preparedness and her future in international competitions, particularly her chances of making it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

She is no longer the petite 14-year-old who, at the 2020 Tokyo Games, became one of the youngest Chinese divers to win an Olympic gold, or the more mature teenager who clinched gold twice at the 2024 Paris Games. Her larger body frame and six-month hiatus notwithstanding, Quan, now 18, has maintained the striking quality of her dives.

The teen master of the "splash-disappearing technique", which refers to her delicate body control to keep water splashes at the minimum during a dive, delivered once again on Sunday.

In the women's synchronized 10-meter platform diving team event, Quan made a strong return, partnering with newcomer Wang Weiying. The duo displayed remarkable synchronicity and composure, earning a top combined score over three rounds and securing the first gold medal in diving for Team Guangdong, successfully defending its National Games title.

Quan's home crowd at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Swimming and Diving Hall welcomed her with the loudest cheers, while her legion of social media fans — around 3.75 million on Sina Weibo — celebrated her comeback online.

The hashtag "Quan Hongchan returns to win" garnered nearly 62 million views on Weibo as of Thursday, and she was among the top trending topics related to the National Games on social media.

"I am awesome," Quan herself posted an encouragement on Weibo following Guangdong's team victory.

Quan's impressive form despite her injuries signals that she is far from retirement.

Referring to the prospect of diving against her star teammate in the individual event at the 2028 Olympics, Quan's partner Wang said, "I hope I can be her rival. Apparently, she's not recovered to her best form yet, but I hope she will continue working hard on her way back to the peak."

In 2021, Quan became a household name after winning the 10m platform gold at the Tokyo Olympics, which was deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She redefined the benchmark of elite diving by effortlessly pulling off some of the world's most difficult dives.

The pull of gravity felt stronger as Quan grew at least 15 centimeters taller and 10 kilograms heavier by the time of the Paris Olympics. However, she beat the challenges with countless extra hours on her fitness program, which eventually paid rich dividends. Quan edged out national teammate Chen Yuxi to retain her individual title in Paris, and added a third career Olympic gold in the synchro event with Chen.

Quan will miss another duel against Chen, who is representing Shanghai, in Monday's individual final, because she hasn't signed up for the event to keep the intensity of her return in check.

He Weiyi, head coach of the Guangdong diving team, said that Quan has overcome tougher-than-expected challenges to make it to the National Games. "She is competing while still nursing injuries to her (right) tibia and ankle joints, and her body has kinesiology tapes all over to protect her muscles from overstretching," he said. "It's extremely tough for her, as she endures severe pain every day. She has to apply ice packs to her leg between each round during both practice and competitions."

The National Games was Quan's first competition since she last dived competitively at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final in May in Beijing.

Chen, 20, a close friend of Quan, has emerged as a favorite for the individual title at the 2028 Olympics, after she claimed a record-extending fourth world championship title in 10m platform in July in Singapore.

Whether it is Quan making a comeback and reigning supreme again or a mature Chen finishing on top, the intriguing rivalry between the duo is expected to keep the diving world stoked in the run-up to the next Olympics.