Chinese divers Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi blew away the competition to claim gold in the women’s synchronised 10-metre platform event on Wednesday (July 31).
But for 17-year-old Hongchan, the appearance of fellow Olympic champion Eileen Gu at her post-win press conference has got to be the icing on the cake.
Her jaw dropped further when Eileen walked up to stage with plushies for her and Yuxi, and to congratulate them on winning gold.
Though she was born in the United States, Eileen, now 20, represented China in freestyle skiing and holds the title as the youngest Olympic champion in the sport after winning two golds and one silver at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.
Hongchan was overheard telling Eileen “Your sport is scarier than ours” during a conversation in which both athletes compared notes on their Olympic experience.
She even took the chance to ask Eileen when they would meet again and excitedly told reporters that the latter is one of her idols.
“She is so excellent and beautiful,” gushed Hongchan
In one video, Hongchan is seen hilariously cosying up to Eileen as the latter spoke to her diving partner.
Eileen also shared with reporters that she was among the spectators cheering the pair on during Wednesday’s competition and it was her first time meeting the girls in person.
Netizens flooded the comments in videos online, many laughing at how adorable Hongchan was in Eileen’s presence.
“This has to be the cutest thing I have seen online today,” read a comment while another wrote that Hongchan “is just like us swooning over our idols”.
This isn’t the first time Hongchan’s has charmed everyone with her antics.
The Chinese diver was also seen animatedly entering the press conference with a twirl, while showing off her gold medal.
“Every video I see of her just gets cuter,” commented a netizen.