Best friends, golden rivalry

Teenage diving queens push each other to further heights in their bid for combined and individual glory

As both world and Olympic champions, Chinese diving queens Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi were, unsurprisingly, among the brightest stars on the platform at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Together, the two teenage sensations reached the top step of the podium with a nearly perfect performance.

Then, after winning the women's synchronized 10m platform gold together as partners on Saturday, the two young aces battled it out in the women's 10m platform on Tuesday, when Quan edged out Chen to win the title by a margin of just 2.55 points.

With both Quan and Chen's final tallies exceeding 430 points, none of the other divers came close, including the bronze medalist (280.50) — perhaps the best testimony to the duo's dominance.

Quan and Chen are both the closest of partners and toughest of rivals. This seemingly complicated relationship, to themselves, however, is very simple. They are simply best friends that have grown up together.

"Quan is actually a very easygoing person. She is always the funniest one in our team. She always carries a smile, and she is the reason why our team always has such a great atmosphere," said 18-year-old Chen during an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"She shines in so many ways. She has a very positive mindset, and she is always energetic during training and competition. I hope she will always have the heart she has now and keeps chasing her dreams."

Although Quan is always described as a talkative and funny girl by teammates, the 16-year-old is famous for giving extremely short answers to media questions. And to China Daily, she continued that tradition.

"Chen is a pretty and charming girl, who never easily gives up," said Quan.