Golden Lily - Ten Years On : Asia’S First Dinghy Sailing Gold Medallist

The inspirational autobiography from Asia’s first dinghy sailing gold medallist updated to the present day. A full-time athlete at 10, Lijia was taken away from her parents and enrolled on the gruelling Chinese training regime. A rare insight into a world of relentless training and unquestioning compliance, and a young woman’s will to succeed.

Golden Lily is the fascinating autobiography from Asia’s first ever dinghy sailing gold medallist.It tells of her learning to sail and becoming a full-time athlete at just 10 years old. At that age Lijia Xu was taken away from her parents and enrolled in the gruelling Chinese training regime, a programme meticulously prescribed across all sporting disciplines to catapult the nation’s talented youngsters to international champions. It is a rare insight into a shocking world of relentless physical training and unquestioning mental compliance. Lijia’s honest and heart-felt account takes you on her journey from physical disabilities and debilitating injuries to learning to think for herself, eventually going on to achieve her dream of becoming an Olympic gold medallist. Now, ten years since its first publication, Lily has updated the story. She tells of her third and final Olympic campaign at Rio 2016 and then training to be a sports journalist and covering Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 as a reporter. Lijia opens up about her secret relationship with her English coach and their subsequent marriage, as well as talking about her post-Olympic sailing including IMOCA 60s, M32s, J80s and Waszps.This is an inspirational story of a young woman’s will to succeed despite all that her background threw at her.

“Lijia Xu is a true sailing champion … an inspiration for sailors, particularly female sailors, around the world. Golden Lily is an enthralling account of Lily’s life … I have nothing but respect for Lily. I commend this book to anyone interested in sailing, sport or the differences between east and west.” (Sir Ben Ainslie)“I was totally fascinated by Lijia Xu''s story. It is quite remarkable that she was able to overcome the rigid demands of the Chinese authorities and obtain a European coach. What she has achieved is therefore all the more remarkable.” (Bob Fisher) “Gain an insight to what makes a gold medallist tick.” (Yachts & Yachting)“Apart from containing a lot of tips to improve their sailing, the book is a gold mine of information for a person looking to improve in any sport or in life in general. Without all the tips, the book is still a ''must read'' just for the story. Everyone I met who has read the book has been amazed. I guarantee that once you start to read you will not be able to put the book down." (Jeff Martin, Laser World)“This book provides a fascinating peak into a very different system of living and training. One which Lily both accepted and then eventually broke away from to study in the UK, despite the threats to lose her life-long privileges as an Olympic Champion.” (SailWeb)