Send us a text

As Asia’s only ever dinghy sailing gold medallist at the Olympic Games, China’s Golden Girl Xu Lijia, or as many of us may better know her, Lily Xu is nothing short of an icon, legend and inspiration. As the 2012 Rolex Female World Sailor of the year, multi-time world champion, and flag bearer for China at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, her legacy and her story as a pioneer is one that is not short of its many challenges and setbacks.

From the tender age of ten, Lily embarked on an odyssey that would define her life and career - navigating the waters of separation from her parents, enrolling in the gruelling Chinese national training programme as a national talent to international superstar, and shouldering the weight of the world on her shoulders as she sailed in front of a roaring home crowd at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, taking home a bronze medal.

Nevertheless, even in the face of debilitating injury and physical disability, it is clear that despite it all, Lily has made the impossible possible, risen high above all that was against her with mental and emotional strength like no other, and truly carved her place into not simply the history of sailing, but of sport itself.

Join us in this episode as we set sail into her incredible journey, and find out what truly lies behind the heart and mind of Olympic Champion, pioneer, and international sensation - Xu Lijia.