Xu Lijia was born nearly deaf in one ear and nearly blind in one eye.[5][6] She started swimming at age four and attended a sports school in the Changning District of Shanghai. When she was ten Xu was chosen by coach Zhang Jing to train for sailing.[7]
Just a year after she started sailing, Xu Lijia won the 1998 Chinese National Championships held in Hong Kong.[1]
In 1999, when she was twelve, Xu Lijia narrowly escaped death in a sudden storm while training on the open sea off the coast of Fujian Province with her coach and teammates. Wind speeds reached 20 meters per second (45 mph), resulting in 17-meter (56 ft) high waves, capsizing their boats. They were stranded at sea for more than two hours before managing to return to the base.[6][8][9]
Optimist and Europe classes
Xu Lijia began her international career aged 11 in the Optimist class in the 1998 Asian Championships,[1] winning her first international gold medal in the 1999 Asian Championships.[7] She then won the gold medals in the 2001 and 2002 World Championships, and the 2002 Asian Games, all in the Optimist class.[7]
After she reached 15, in 2003 Xu progressed to the Europe class (then an Olympic class) according to International Sailing Federation (ISAF) rules. She switched to coach Liu Xiaoma, the husband of her old coach Zhang Jing.[8]
Tumor
During a routine physical examination before the 2004 Summer Olympics, doctors found a giant-cell tumor of bone near Xu Lijia's left knee. She initially hoped to postpone the tumor-removal surgery until after the Olympics, but doctors warned that the tumor could spread within months which would necessitate amputation of the leg. Xu underwent the surgery and missed the Athens Olympics.[6][9]
Laser Radial class
In 2005 Xu began racing Laser Radial class dinghies after the ISAF decided to replace the Europe class with Laser Radial in the women's sailing competition of the Olympics.[10] The next year she won gold medals at the 2006 World Championships in Los Angeles and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.[1]
After winning a gold medal at the 2009 National Games of China,[3] Xu took a long break from the sport in order to recover from her back injuries and to commence her studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, majoring in Business Management.[8][10] She resumed training in May 2011[10] and won a silver medal in May 2012 at the World Championships held in Boltenhagen, Germany.[1]
Partly because of her inspiring story of overcoming multiple adversities to become an Olympic champion, Xu was chosen over many better known athletes to be China's flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.[9]
Major wins
1998 Chinese Championships – 1st Optimist class
1999 Asian Championships – 1st Optimist class
2001 World Championships – 1st Optimist class
2002 World Championships – 1st Optimist class
2002 Asian Games – 1st Optimist class
2005 Chinese National Games – 2nd Europe class
2006 World Championships – 1st Laser Radial class
2006 Asian Games – 1st Laser Radial class
2008 World Championships – 2nd Laser Radial class
2008 Olympics – 3rd Laser Radial class
2009 National Games of China – 1st Laser Radial class
China
