Xu Lijia

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| native_name = 徐莉佳

| native_name_lang = zh

| nickname = Lily

| nationality = Chinese

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1987|8|30}}

| birth_place = Shanghai, China

| alma_mater = Shanghai Jiao Tong University

| height = 1.76 m

| weight = 60 kg

| country = {{CHN}}

| sport = Sailing

| event = Laser Radial

| coach = Liu Xiaoma (刘小马)
Jon Emmett[https://www.shanghaieye.com.cn/detail?postId=17807 Xu Lijia And Her Husband Can’t Not Be Adorable]. ShanghaiEye.com.cn. 14 February 2018.

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals =

| olympics =

| highestranking =

| pb =

| medaltemplates =

| updated = 13 August 2012

}}

Xu Lijia ({{zh|c=徐莉佳|p=Xú Lìjiā}}; born 30 August 1987 in Shanghai) is a Chinese sailboat racer who won a bronze medal in women's Laser Radial class at the 2008 Summer Olympics{{cite Sports-Reference}}{{cite web

| url = http://2008teamchina.olympic.cn/index.php/personview/personsen/5151

| title = Xu Lijia

| work = Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics

| publisher = Chinese Olympic Committee

| access-date = 13 August 2012

| archive-date = 15 August 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120815055956/http://2008teamchina.olympic.cn/index.php/personview/personsen/5151

| url-status = dead

}} and a gold medal in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics,{{cite web

| url = http://www.london2012.com/athlete/xu-lijia-1067098/

| title = Lijia Xu

| website = London2012.com

| publisher = London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

| access-date = 13 August 2012

| archive-date = 28 January 2013

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130128013729/www.london2012.com/athlete/xu-lijia-1067098/

| url-status = dead

}} where she was the flag bearer for China at the closing ceremony.{{cite news

| url = http://sports.eastday.com/s/20120812/u1a6778887.html

| script-title = zh:徐莉佳出任伦敦奥运会闭幕式中国代表团旗手

| newspaper = Eastday

| language = zh

| date = 12 August 2012

}}

Early life and career

Xu Lijia was born nearly deaf in one ear and nearly blind in one eye.{{cite news

| url = http://2012.sohu.com/20120807/n350029051.shtml

| script-title = zh:徐莉佳最怕别人看自己手

| newspaper = Sohu

| language = zh

| date = 7 August 2012

| access-date = 15 August 2012

}} 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.{{cite news

| url = http://2012.qq.com/a/20120806/001433.htm

| script-title = zh:徐莉佳六年前夺帆船世界冠军伦敦奥运终摘金

| newspaper = Tencent

| language = zh

| date = 6 August 2012

| access-date = 15 August 2012

| archive-date = 16 August 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120816014020/http://2012.qq.com/a/20120806/001433.htm

| url-status = dead

}}

Just a year after she started sailing, Xu Lijia won the 1998 Chinese National Championships held in Hong Kong.{{Cite web

| url = http://www.sailing.org/biog.php?memberid=47744

| title = Sailor biography: Lijia Xu

| publisher = ISAF

| access-date = 15 August 2012

| archive-date = 16 April 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210416193638/https://www.sailing.org/biog.php?memberid=47744

| url-status = dead

}}

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 {{convert|20|m/s|mph|sp=us}}, resulting in {{convert|17|m|adj=on|sp=us}} high waves, capsizing their boats. They were stranded at sea for more than two hours before managing to return to the base.{{cite news

| url = http://2012.sina.com.cn/cn/sa/2012-08-07/153046645.shtml

| script-title = zh:徐莉佳12岁时战胜死神教练:这孩子特别“要"

| newspaper = Sina

| language = zh

| date = 7 August 2012

| access-date = 15 August 2012

}}{{cite news

| url = http://2012.163.com/12/0813/07/88P5JAJF000506A2.html

| script-title = zh:上海姑娘徐莉佳担任闭幕式旗手

| newspaper = Netease

| language = zh

| date = 13 August 2012

| access-date = 16 August 2012

| url-status = dead

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130116010154/http://2012.163.com/12/0813/07/88P5JAJF000506A2.html

| archive-date = 16 January 2013

}}

Optimist and Europe classes

Xu Lijia began her international career aged 11 in the Optimist class in the 1998 Asian Championships, winning her first international gold medal in the 1999 Asian Championships. She then won the gold medals in the 2001 and 2002 World Championships, and the 2002 Asian Games, all in the Optimist class.

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.

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.

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.{{cite news

| url = http://www.bjreview.com.cn/headline/txt/2012-08/07/content_473737.htm

| title = Xu Lijia Wins Women's Laser Radial Sailing Gold

| newspaper = Beijing Review

| date = 7 August 2012

| access-date = 16 August 2012

}} The next year she won gold medals at the 2006 World Championships in Los Angeles and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

In March 2008 Xu Lijia won a silver medal at the World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. In August she won her first Olympic medal, a bronze at the Qingdao regatta of the 2008 Summer Olympics, behind American sailor Anna Tunnicliffe and Gintare Volungeviciute of Lithuania.

After winning a gold medal at the 2009 National Games of China, 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. She resumed training in May 2011 and won a silver medal in May 2012 at the World Championships held in Boltenhagen, Germany.

2012 Summer Olympics

On 6 August 2012, Xu Lijia won the gold medal in the women's Laser Radial race at the 2012 Summer Olympics, beating Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands and Evi Van Acker of Belgium.{{cite news

| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18908163

| title = Olympics sailing: China's Xu Lijia pips Marit Bouwmeester to gold

| author = Rob Hodgetts

| publisher = BBC

| date = 6 August 2012

| access-date = 13 August 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120809015431/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18908163

| archive-date = 9 August 2012

| url-status = dead

}}

It was China's second ever Olympic gold in sailing.

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.