A gold medal at the 2006 World Championships in Los Angeles, a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and a gold medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics... These are just a few of the many medals Xu Lijia won as a professional sailor before her retirement at the age of 35.
On March 21, Xu, now a sports media freelancer, shared with Fudan students how she braved the waves and what she learned throughout her 20+ years on the ocean.
Growing up from a naughty girl to an Olympian in sailing
Talent got Xu started, but persistence kept her going.
“My parents signed me up for the school’s swimming team when I was five because it was difficult to get me to behave.” Two hours of swimming practice after school became her daily routine for the next five years before she was selected by a sailing coach who came to scout for potential athletes and began to be trained as a professional sailor.
Learning how to sail was fun at first. However, once the hype died down, like any 10-year-old girl, Xu did think of giving up on several occasions. “I wanted to go home and be my parents’ baby girl.” She finally decided to keep going when seeing other kids manage to endure the hardship. With the passion she gradually developed for sailing, the young Xu Lijia took up 6-8 hours of dull, repetitive training every day. Despite birth defects in hearing and vision, at the age of 25, Xu became the first and the only Asian to win an Olympic gold medal in sailing.
Becoming a sports media freelancer and guardian of oceans
25 years of professional sailing brought Xu Lijia multiple wins and a lifetime of memorable experiences. Yet, it also left her with irreversible injuries, which put an end to her sailing career.
“The questions of ‘what can I do?’ and ‘what do I want to do?’ were what I thought about the most on the hospital bed,” said Xu. For years, she has been dealing with media as a professional athlete. “So I thought it might be interesting to be on the other side of the microphone after retirement.”
With that in mind, she went to Solent University in England, majoring in Sports Broadcast Journalism, where she acquired practical skills to become a sports media professional. Later, Xu attended the Tokyo Olympics as a reporter and host, making a successful change in her career track from an athlete to a sports media person.
To date, Xu has interviewed hundreds of athletes and coaches, set up her own podcasts and WeChat official account.
Apart from sports news, ocean health is an important area Xu has been working on.
Life advice from Xu Lijia
During the Q&A session, Xu Lijia shared some words of wisdom with our students. Here are a few takeaways:
“Interest makes the best teacher. Find a hobby that you’re interested in and that passion will drive you to become better.”
“Being lost and confused is an inevitable part of young adults. That’s when it’s even more important to listen to your heart and not let what others say influence you.”
“Find something that you are passionate about, put in the time and effort, and take the opportunity to become an expert at it.”
This event was organized by the Student Union of Fudan University and Sun Wen Sports Development Center of Fudan University.
Sun Wen Sports Development Center of Fudan University was established in 2022. It is named after and chaired by Sun Wen, a legendary professional football player in China. The center is aimed to become a first-class educational and research institute in China for sports and culture.
The center plans to connect Fudan University with more international sports organizations and develop partnerships with universities, sports institutions, sports teams and corporations at home and abroad to enhance physical education and grow athletic teams at Fudan University and facilitate all-round development of Fudan students.
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Presented by Fudan University Media Center
Writer: Liao Entong
Photographers for the event: Yu Tuochen, Wu Yutong
Editor: Li Yijie, Wang Mengqi
Designer: Jia Yingyue
