EduFest2024

Learning to sail and become a full-time athlete at 10-years old, Lily Xu Lijia was enrolled in a challenging Chinese training regime requiring relentless physical training and unquestioning mental compliance.  Lily’s story will take you on her path from physical disabilities and debilitating injuries to learning to think for herself and achieving her dream of becoming an Olympic gold medallist.   Born half deaf in both ears and nearly blind in one eye, her inspirational will to succeed despite these adversities helped her become an overnight sensation among China’s 1.3 billion population, and the flag-bearer at the closing ceremony of London 2012.