Chinese diving starlet Quan Hongchan has again split opinion on social media, this time by posting an emotional update about her sick mother’s return to hospital.

In releasing a limited-time live-story update on her official Douyin account, Quan posted a photo of her mother lying in bed in hospital. The picture, which shows Quan holding Feng Lingmei’s hand, comes with the touching caption “Love you, mum”.

Her father, Quan Wenmao, who is a farmer, also shared details about his wife’s time being treated for what local media said was a relapse of lupus erythematosus, a chronic auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs.

The posts sparked widespread concern and well-wishes for the mother’s condition, and for the way Quan, who was just 14 when she won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, has handled her family’s troubles.

“She has endured so much at such a young age,” one Weibo comment read.

Another read: “I hope she stays strong and ignores the rumours online. Winning at the Olympics at such a young age already shows she’s put in twice the effort of her peers.