Chinese diving champ Quan Hongchan stole our hearts with her cute antics during the Paris Olympics.
But it seems the teen diving queen, who won two gold medals in Paris, isn’t too comfortable with her newfound fame.
In a video posted online, the 17-year-old looked glum as she was being escorted through an airport with crowds shoving for a glimpse of her.
One fan was even seen trying to thrust a bouquet of flowers at an irritated-looking Hongchan, while others desperately tried to get a selfie with her.
At one point, Hongchan was seen shouting in anger and attempting to escape the crowd.
Even her hometown of Maihe Village, in Guandong province’s Zhangjiang City, isn’t spared, with thousands of tourists visiting daily.
About 1,000 people visited the pair of trees at the entrance to her family home to take photos, with many saying it will bring fortune and success.
The area surrounding her grandfather’s home has also been turned into a sort of snack street with food stalls selling local delicacies.
There are also giant portraits of the Olympian at the entrance of the village and its ancestral hall where visitors are allowed to take pictures.
In a bid to cope with the sudden influx of visitors, officials seem keen to accommodate them, even building a large carpark adorned with the Olympic rings symbol.
Police and village volunteers have also taken to patrolling the streets to keep them clean.
Hongchan’s folks are also unhappy over their peaceful life being disturbed
“We just want to live a quiet life, but now we cannot go out,” said her father.
Her mum also said she didn’t dare let Hongchan to stay at home as too many people would flock down to catch a glimpse of her daughter.
Though Hongchan’s experience is quite over-the-top, we do find it weird that she is shunning all the attention despite her hard work.
Netizens have since called for these tourists to give Hongchan and her family some breathing space.
“What is this? She is just a kid!” read a comment.
However, some have accused Hongchan of lacking manners.
“You can’t refuse when someone offers you flowers. [Becoming an Olympic champion] is funded by the taxpayer, she should accept the people’s love,” said a netizen.
Hongchan isn’t the only Chinese Olympian who has balked at being idolised.
Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle, who won two golds and a silver in Paris and also broke the world record for the men’s 100m freestyle, also took everyone by surprise when he recently commented that he would be willing to give all his Olympic success up just to return to a quiet life.
“I can’t go out by myself,” said the 20-year-old, adding that “the ground floor of the hotel [where the interview was conducted] is full of people wanting his autograph”.
“This is the only bad thing about being famous, too many people surround me. I want to keep a low profile [and] be quiet,” he added.