RAILEY Paige

General
HEALTH CONDITION
She has been diagnosed with a chronic immune system illness, and in 2017 she took a year off from competitive sailing. "I have been chronically ill my whole life, but in the last six years [prior to 2019] things have gone downhill. 2017 saw the worst of it all and it required me to begin a road of endless doctors, testing, needles, machines, laying helplessly on examination tables and countless days wasted being ill. I thought 2018 was the start of a bright future, but unfortunately, I was wrong and I've watched my body and health deteriorate again. I have competed the majority of the events unable to breathe, get out of bed, in pain, weak and struggling to make it on an upwind. It's taken pure mental strength to get through it and I've never felt pain and suffering like I've known these past few years. I've had moments of pure hopelessness because doctors were so puzzled. There's been tears, anger, and disappointment, but I never stopped putting one foot in front of the other." (Instagram profile, 12 Sep 2019; laserinternational.org, 26 Feb 2019)

THIRD TIME LUCKY
She is aiming to win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after failing to reach the podium at the Games in 2012 and 2016. "I've never been happy with my Olympic results because I haven't brought home a medal. That's why I'm doing another campaign. My last campaign for Rio 2016 was so distracted after my bike accident [in 2015] and the lengthy rehab. It was a lost year to get back into the boat, but going through that period has helped me now with my approach toward Tokyo 2020. It has changed everything for me, helping me now focus on the moment. I am not worrying about the future but rather concentrating on whatever I am doing. The last missing piece is an Olympic gold medal. If I can secure that, I think I can walk away saying I've done everything you can do in this boat." (laserinternational.org, 26 Feb 2019; sailingscuttlebutt.com, 28 Jan 2019; ussailing.org, 29 Apr 2018)

BIKE ACCIDENT
She had a serious bicycle accident in 2014. In addition to fracturing her spine, she lost teeth and sustained serious cuts that exposed some of her tendons and required 50 stitches. She returned to the sport in early 2015. "It became something much more than worrying about whether or not I would be able to sail again. I was wondering if Paige was ever going to be Paige again. I did not know if I would ever be healthy again. I went a long time without being able to hold a coffee cup. If I cannot hold a coffee cup, there were times that I questioned whether or not I would be able to navigate a boat." (teamusa.org, 01 Feb 2015)

OCCUPATION
She works at her family's business. "Outside of sailing, I work in my family's company Single Source Insurance and Bucket Innovations. We are trying our hardest to grow [the business] and I want to do anything possible to aid those dreams." (laserinternational.org, 26 Feb 2019)