Xu Lijia
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Native name | 徐莉佳 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Lily[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Shanghai, China | 30 August 1987|||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 60 kg (132 lb)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | China | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Sailing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Laser Radial | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Liu Xiaoma (刘小马)[3] Jon Emmett[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on 13 August 2012. |
Xu Lijia (
Early life and career
Xu Lijia was born nearly deaf in one ear and nearly blind in one eye.
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
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
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]
In March 2008 Xu Lijia won a silver medal at the World Championships in
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]
2012 Summer Olympics
On 6 August 2012, Xu Lijia won the gold medal in the
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
- 2012 World Championships – 2nd Laser Radial class
- 2012 Olympics - 1st Laser Radial class
References
- ^ ISAF. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Lijia Xu". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Xu Lijia". Chinese Olympic Committee. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ Xu Lijia And Her Husband Can’t Not Be Adorable. shanghaieye.com.cn.14 February 2018.
- ^ a b 徐莉佳出任伦敦奥运会闭幕式中国代表团旗手. Eastday (in Chinese). 12 August 2012.
- ^ a b c 徐莉佳最怕别人看自己手. Sohu (in Chinese). 7 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b c 徐莉佳六年前夺帆船世界冠军 伦敦奥运终摘金. Tencent (in Chinese). 6 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b c 徐莉佳12岁时战胜死神 教练:这孩子特别“要". Sina (in Chinese). 7 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b c 上海姑娘徐莉佳担任闭幕式旗手. Netease (in Chinese). 13 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Xu Lijia Wins Women's Laser Radial Sailing Gold". Beijing Review. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ Rob Hodgetts (6 August 2012). "Olympics sailing: China's Xu Lijia pips Marit Bouwmeester to gold". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
External links
- Xu Lijia at World Sailing
- Xu Lijia at Olympics.com
- Xu Lijia at Olympedia