If one day, your body limits your dreams, how would you choose? To persist in pursuing them or to let go and seek another path? This is a difficult choice that many people face, but for Quan Hongtao, this question has been placed early on her life journey.
Quan Hongtao, once a promising diving talent, grew up in a family with a strong diving atmosphere. Her sister, Quan Hongchan, is a legendary figure in the diving world, who became famous at the Tokyo Olympics, with the "water splash disappearance technique" becoming her hallmark. While Quan Hongtao was also considered to have outstanding talent, she did not reach the pinnacle like her sister. Life's turning points are often not as simple as a race, but more like a marathon, where endurance, opportunity, and choice are all indispensable.
Born in 2009, Quan Hongtao was sent by her family to practice diving from a young age. The family's love and support for diving permeated her growing environment. From her sister Quan Hongchan's rise to fame to her own initial attempts at the diving arena, the family's atmosphere and support undoubtedly became a driving force for her progress.
At a diving competition in Guangdong, the then 9-year-old Quan Hongtao displayed astonishing talent, taking third place with the "water splash disappearance technique." This was already an impressive achievement at the time, and it filled people with expectations for her future. Her coach, Guo Yi - also Quan Hongchan's mentor - once believed that she had the potential to catch up with or even surpass her sister.
However, talent is a double-edged sword, giving you hope while hiding insurmountable "traps." Diving requires extremely high levels of physical coordination and control, and while Quan Hongtao was naturally gifted, her physical conditions gradually became her "weakness" as puberty approached.
Entering adolescence, Quan Hongtao's body underwent significant changes - her height and weight increased, making her appear clumsy on the diving platform. Her development far exceeded that of her sister Quan Hongchan, and this physical difference was an uncontrollable factor for a diver.
The increase in height and weight meant a decrease in control upon entry into the water, and the delicacy of movements began to be affected. Although she tried to mitigate the negative effects of these changes through strict diet and training, the results were minimal.
More importantly, there was psychological pressure. During this period, she had to face external comparisons and expectations, as well as confront her inner struggles: to persevere or give up? To choose health or dreams? This is a question that every diver faces during their growth, and Quan Hongtao's decision appeared particularly decisive and mature - she chose to give up diving, return to school, and focus on her studies.
This was not an easy decision. Giving up a path she had pursued since childhood was a complete farewell for her. But she also knew that rather than struggling against it, it was better to follow the natural course of her body's development and seek new possibilities.
Although she bid farewell to the diving arena, Quan Hongtao's passion for diving never waned. Perhaps it was a coincidence or perhaps a deep-seated attachment, when her mentor Guo Yi offered her an olive branch, she accepted without hesitation - becoming an assistant coach for the Zhanjiang Sports School diving team.
The income as an assistant coach is not high, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand yuan per month, which is far less than the tens of thousands of yuan in live broadcast industry's take-home earnings. However, Quan Hongtao chose this path, saying, "Seeing the young athletes improve is worth more than anything else." She did not choose to follow her family's experience in live broadcast sales but instead persisted on a plain yet challenging path based on her interests and passion.
This job is both a continuation and a new challenge for Quan Hongtao. As an assistant coach, she not only guides young athletes in diving techniques but also takes on the responsibility of psychological counseling. She uses her experiences to tell the children, "The road to diving will not always be smooth sailing, but passion will keep you going."
After giving up diving, many people thought Quan Hongtao would enter the live broadcast industry like her brother, accumulating wealth through short videos and sales. However, Quan Hongtao chose another path. This choice may seem to outsiders as giving up the opportunity for "easy wealth," but in Quan Hongtao's view, money is not the only measure. Diving is her passion, and she hopes to extend this passion to her work as an assistant coach.
What is touching is that her choice received understanding and support from her family. Her sister Quan Hongchan, as the top stream in the diving world, did not feel disappointed because her sister gave up her athlete status but was proud of her new choice. She encouraged Quan Hongtao to follow her interests and find her own value. This respect and support within the family is one of the driving forces behind Quan Hongtao's persistence.
From a talented young diver to an ordinary student who gave up her dreams, and then to an assistant coach at Zhanjiang Sports School, Quan Hongtao's experiences tell us: the meaning of life is not just about whether one reaches the peak, but about how one faces changes and challenges.
Perhaps not everyone can stand on the world stage like Quan Hongchan, but Quan Hongtao tells us with her choices that passion and perseverance do not require worldly rewards; they are themselves the most precious wealth in life.
Her story also shows us how to make rational decisions when dreams conflict with reality. When the physical changes of puberty became an uncontrollable factor for her, she did not choose to struggle but instead returned to her inner self, faced it calmly, and found another way. Her choice is responsible for herself and is another interpretation of passion.
Just as Quan Hongtao has done, she tells us with her actions that no matter one's level of talent, as long as effort and passion coexist, one can surely find one's own path. There are many paths in life, and what is important is not which one is more "profitable," but which one is more "suitable."
What will Quan Hongtao's future be like? We do not know. But what we can be sure of is that this former diving girl is shining with passion in her own way.
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