When body parts are the weak link

Bora Gulari represented USA at the 2016 Olympics in the new Mixed Multihull event, but the following year lost parts of three fingers during a pitchpole on the Nacra 17. He wasn’t the only one getting injured on the high-performance boat and ultimately opted out.

But British kiteboarder Lily Young hasn’t had enough yet. After missing out on qualifying for Paris 2024, she’s remains focused on getting to the 2028 Games despite losing part of a finger during a training accident in France.

She was dragged face-first through the water when a kite line became tangled around her helmet, and when she tried to free herself by using her hands, a severe cut from the line took off the tip of her left index finger.

“It was a very bad situation,” she recalled for the BBC. “I knew I probably didn’t have long to get myself out of it. I just knew I needed to get this line off me as quick as I possibly could, and unfortunately it ended up ripping through the back of my helmet and taking my finger off before I could even try.”

Young said kiteboarders would usually avoid putting their hands anywhere near the lines – but that she was running on instinct as she tried to free herself. It was only after escaping that she fully realized the severity of her injuries.

“I cut through an artery. I could see the bone and I knew the finger was gone,” she said.

Her coach helped her to shore, where an ambulance was waiting, and she was taken to a specialist hospital for emergency surgery. She later underwent further operations and skin grafts in the UK, followed by weeks of hand therapy.

Now less than four months later, Young has returned to the water and competed in the first significant test of the season – 2026 Trofeo Princesa Sofia on March 30-April 4 in Mallorca, Spain – finishing tenth and top British entrant.

“It was amazing to get back,” she said. “I was super nervous, but we took it slow and it was all about enjoyment. “I feel like I’ve come back doing things better, with better habits and routines.”

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

For more details, click here.