How do you win an Olympic medal? Chinese sailor Lily Xu won two of them, a bronze at Beijing 2008 and then gold in that dramatic four-way fight in the Medal Race in front of a packed crowd at the London 2012 Games. Here, Lily and her long-time coach Jon Emmett talk through the qualities and skills required to climb to the very top step of the highest podium in sport.
It’s an in-depth 45-minute interview by former Olympic campaigner Andy Rice who asks the dynamic duo about various elements that contributed to their success on the world stage...
Time line
2:31 The mental toughness required, and how Lily developed it
5:28 “I was an actress giving the performance of my life...”
8:24 Jon: “Lily stood out from the rest for her constant drive to improve...”
10:22 Why did it matter that Annalise Murphy didn’t do a pre-race interview?
13:31 What Chinese can learn from European sailors, and what Europeans can learn from the Chinese...
18:51 The ‘right’ source of motivation if you want to win...
25:04 Why sailing is the best sport in the world
33.09 When negative thoughts crept in, and how to banish them
39.11 Why lockdown is a golden opportunity
41.21 It’s not so much about winning a gold medal as not losing it
