Xu Guoyi

Xu Guoyi (January 22, 1970 - July 19, 2020) was a Chinese swimmer, a coach of the Chinese national swimming team, and a member of the Jiusan Society.

Life Xu began swimming training at age 10 at a local amateur sports school and joined the Zhejiang provincial swimming team at age 12. Since 1994, as coach of the Zhejiang provincial team, Xu trained many athletes who went on to win medals at the Asian Games, World Championships, and Olympic Games. His trainees included Chen Huijia, Cai Li, Lu Zhiwu, Ye Shiwen, Xu Jiayu, Wu Peng, Li Zhuhao, and Fu Yuanhui. In 2005, he became a coach for the Chinese national team. The Zhejiang provincial government awarded him first-class merit citations four times (2005, 2013, 2016, 2017). In 2012, he was honoured as an "Outstanding Coach of Zhejiang Province" and granted model labourer status. He was also recognized by the State General Administration of Sports and the Chinese Olympic Committee for his contributions to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He received the National Sports Medal three times (2011, 2017, 2018) and was awarded a special government allowance by the State Council in 2017. Five months later, he returned to coaching the national team to prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Due to a relapse of his illness, he did not attend the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju. Xu died of brain cancer in Beijing at 4:09 AM on July 19, 2020.

Family His wife, Lou Xia, is from Chun'an, Zhejiang Province. She is two years younger than him. They married in 1997. Lou Xia is also a swimmer. She represented the People's Republic of China in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Lou Xia suffers from premature heartbeats and Meniere's syndrome. Xu Guoyi and Lou Xia have no children.