Tao Li
Encyclopedia
Tao Li is a China-born Singapore
an competitive swimmer
specializing in the backstroke
and butterfly stroke
.
A Singapore Sports School
student, Tao has represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian Games
(SEA Games) and Asian Games
and holds several national records. She won four gold medal
s and a bronze
at the 2005 SEA Games
in the Philippines
, and reached the finals of the women's 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres butterfly
events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
though she did not gain any medals. In December 2006, Tao took a gold medal at the 50 metres butterfly in Doha
's 2006 Asian Games
, beating China's multi-gold medallist Xu Yanwei
and breaking her own national record in the process. She became Singapore's most medalled athlete at the 2007 SEA Games
in Nakhon Ratchasima
(Korat), Thailand, winning four gold medals. Earlier in the year, she also became the first Singaporean female swimmer to reach a FINA World Aquatics Championships final, finishing seventh in the 50 metres butterfly.
Tao made her Olympic début for Singapore at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing. She qualified for the 100 metres finals, ranking fourth in the semifinals with a time of 57.54 seconds and setting two Asian records in two days. She thus became the first Singaporean swimmer to enter an Olympic final. She emerged fifth at the women's 100 metres butterfly finals with a time of 57.99 seconds.
, Hubei
, in the People's Republic of China, the only child of Tao Ran and his wife Li Yan, who were both former provincial swimmers and are now swimming coaches. Her early years were spent in Wuhan
, the capital of Hubei province. She started swimming at the age of five, and had started competitive swimming by the time she was ten. In her first contest she won two gold medal
s and broke two age records. On one occasion at a particular local meet that she was confident of winning, she had her parents attend. However, she lost and was so upset and worried about "losing face" that she asked her parents not to come for future competitions. While she has now overcome that fear, her parents still keep to the "tradition" of not attending her meets in order not to distract her. In 2002, at the age of 13 years, Tao was brought to Singapore by her mother. It was difficult for her parents to decide to send her to Singapore, and her father was initially against the idea as at the time she was training with a provincial swimming team and earning a monthly salary of RNB
500, and there was a good chance she might do well enough to join the Chinese national team. However, they decided to do so after she was deemed too short for the national team. As her mother was not earning much, she found covering Tao's swimming expenses difficult. In addition, because Tao's English was not good, she had to join a Primary 5 class in Queenstown Primary School though she was three years older than her classmates and found things tough-going. However, she worked hard and took extra language lessons, and now converses fluently in English.
Tao became a Singapore citizen
in August 2005. She is a Secondary 3 student at the Singapore Sports School
in 2008, and is expected to continue her education there until she graduates with a diploma in sports science
under an arrangement between the school and the Auckland University of Technology
. She trains under the school's swimming coach Peter Churchill. Previously at the Aquatic Performance Swim Club under former Olympian Ang Peng Siong
from 2001, following what was reported to be a contract dispute she started training in October 2006 with another former Olympian, David Lim, at Swimfast Aquatic Club.
(SEA Games) and Asian Games
. Following her success at the 1st Hong Kong Open Invitational Championships in 2005 at which she won four gold medal
s and was named most outstanding female swimmer, at the 23rd SEA Games
held in the Philippines
later that year, she won golds for the 100 metres backstroke
, 200 metres butterfly
, and 4 x 100 metres medley relay with teammates Ho Shu Yong, Nicolette Teo
and Joscelin Yeo
.
In March the following year, she won gold in the 50 metres butterfly at the Milo Asia Swimming Championships in Singapore, the Republic's first top award at the competition. Between 16 and 21 March 2006 she took part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
, reaching the finals of the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres butterfly, though she did not gain any medals. In December the same year, Tao won a gold medal at the 50 metres butterfly in Doha
's 2006 Asian Games
, beating China's multi-gold medallist Xu Yanwei
and breaking her own national record in the process. She also won a bronze medal
at the 100 metres butterfly earlier in the tournament, recording a national and Asian mark of 58.96 seconds.
Tao became the first Singaporean female swimmer to reach a FINA World Aquatics Championships final. The 2007 World Aquatics Championships
were held in Melbourne from 17 March to 1 April 2007, and she finished seventh in the 50 metres butterfly
. Later that year at the 2007 SEA Games
in Nakhon Ratchasima
(Korat), Thailand, she was Singapore's most medalled athlete at the Games, winning four gold medals in the 100 metres backstroke, 100 and 200 metres butterfly, and 4 x 100 metres medley relay. On 28 June 2008, Tao was named Sportswoman of the Year in the Singapore Sports Awards given out by the Singapore National Olympic Council
each year. She also won the award in 2007.
In January 2008, Tao became embroiled in controversy after the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) introduced a 15% levy on the cash awards given to swimmers, with about 6% set aside for youth development. As part of the government
's Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP), she received S$
23,750 for winning three individual titles and one team gold at the 2007 SEA Games. She was therefore "taxed" S$3,562.50, with S$1,425 going to youth development. Unhappy with this, Tao said: "If they [the SSA] want to cultivate youth, they should find their own money, not pay using our awards. It's through our hard work that we got the money. So, I don't see the point that we should give the money to the youths." She also said it had been her school and not the SSA which had borne the expense of her overseas training. The SSA said it was "very disappointed" with her comments, and pointed out that the association had spent "easily in excess of $20,000" in sending her for competitions abroad such as the World Championships, Hong Kong Open and Japan International, and a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport
. SSA Vice-President Oon Jin Gee told the press, "Even with the Sports School funding it, it's our taxpayers' dollars going into her development. It doesn't matter which avenue it comes from, it's still Singapore's support for her."
in Beijing, arriving ranked 26th out of 49 butterfly swimmers. On 9 August, the second day of the swimming competition
, she qualified fourth fastest for the semifinals of the 100 metres butterfly after winning her heat with a personal best time of 57.77 seconds. The following day she made it to the finals, shaving off 0.23 seconds for another personal best time and new Asian record of 57.54 seconds. She came fourth behind her role model, Australian swimmer Lisbeth Trickett, and the USA's Christine Magnuson
and Australia's Jessicah Schipper
. She thus set two Asian records and the national record for the event, and became the eighth fastest butterfly swimmer in the world and first Singaporean swimmer to enter an Olympic final. On 11 August, she came fifth at the 100 metres butterfly finals with a time of 57.99 seconds. The top three spots were taken by Trickett (56.73 seconds), Magnuson (57.10 seconds) and Schipper (57.25 seconds). Asked by The Straits Times about her performance, Tao said, "If I have given another personal best, it would not have gotten me a medal. The top three winners were just too good. I wanted to do my best and I pushed all the way and hoped for the best." Given Tao's age compared to those of the medallists, there are hopes that she will be able to improve her performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London.
On 12 August, Tao swam in the second heat of the 200 metres butterfly. She finished fifth (26th in a field of 34) and thus did not proceed to the semi-finals, but her time of 2 minutes 12.63 seconds was a new national record. Discussions have begun regarding plans for her future development. The Singapore Sports Council
's high performance chief Wayde Clews has said: "Money will not be a prohibitive factor in providing the support and necessary resources for Tao Li to reach her full potential ... with the 2012 Olympics as the target." As Tao needs to gain more high-level competing experience, there is also the issue of whether she should continue training in Singapore or head overseas, particularly to Australia or the US.
in Singapore, Tao achieved gold in the 100 metres short-course (25 metres) butterfly, and the following evening a bronze in the 50 metres butterfly in a personal-best time of 25.93 seconds. She repeated her feat in the 100 metres butterfly at the Stockholm leg of the competition on 11 November, and in Berlin on 15 November when she set a competition record with a time of 56.28 seconds. Tao was named the inaugural The Straits Times
Athlete of the Year 2008, and came second in Today
newspaper's 2008 list of athletes of the year.
Tao participated in the 25th Southeast Asian Games
in Vientiane
, Laos
. On 10 December 2009, she took the gold in the 200 metres backstroke
in a time of 2 minutes 17.12 seconds. Three days later, she was part of the winning 4 x 100 metres medley relay team with Roanne Ho, Shana Lim and Quah Ting Wen, and on 14 December she broke her own 2005 Games record in the 200 metres butterfly in a time of 2 minutes 13.49 seconds. As she chalked up five wins, including the 100 metres backstroke and butterfly events, these were her most successful Games to date.
On 18 November 2010, Tao won Singapore
's first gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games
in Guangzhou
, China, in the 50 metres butterfly. Her time of 26.10 seconds was a personal best as well as a national record. She had achieved silver in the 100 metres butterfly on 13 November.
Some of the above information was obtained from .
The above information was obtained from .
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an competitive swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
specializing in the backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
and butterfly stroke
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
.
A Singapore Sports School
Singapore Sports School
The Singapore Sports School is a specialized independent school in Singapore. It was initiated by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports , and caters to sporting teenagers who have talent in sports....
student, Tao has represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
(SEA Games) and Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
and holds several national records. She won four gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s and a bronze
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the 2005 SEA Games
2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 23rd Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and reached the finals of the women's 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres butterfly
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
though she did not gain any medals. In December 2006, Tao took a gold medal at the 50 metres butterfly in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
's 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
, beating China's multi-gold medallist Xu Yanwei
Yanwei Xu
Xu Yanwei is an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from the People's Republic of China, who became part of the Chinese national swimming team in 2000. She competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens....
and breaking her own national record in the process. She became Singapore's most medalled athlete at the 2007 SEA Games
2007 Southeast Asian Games
The 24th Southeast Asian Games was held in Nakhon Ratchasima , Thailand from December 6 to December 15, 2007....
in Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima or is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district...
(Korat), Thailand, winning four gold medals. Earlier in the year, she also became the first Singaporean female swimmer to reach a FINA World Aquatics Championships final, finishing seventh in the 50 metres butterfly.
Tao made her Olympic début for Singapore at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing. She qualified for the 100 metres finals, ranking fourth in the semifinals with a time of 57.54 seconds and setting two Asian records in two days. She thus became the first Singaporean swimmer to enter an Olympic final. She emerged fifth at the women's 100 metres butterfly finals with a time of 57.99 seconds.
Early life and education
Tao Li was born on 10 January 1990 in WuhanWuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, in the People's Republic of China, the only child of Tao Ran and his wife Li Yan, who were both former provincial swimmers and are now swimming coaches. Her early years were spent in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, the capital of Hubei province. She started swimming at the age of five, and had started competitive swimming by the time she was ten. In her first contest she won two gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s and broke two age records. On one occasion at a particular local meet that she was confident of winning, she had her parents attend. However, she lost and was so upset and worried about "losing face" that she asked her parents not to come for future competitions. While she has now overcome that fear, her parents still keep to the "tradition" of not attending her meets in order not to distract her. In 2002, at the age of 13 years, Tao was brought to Singapore by her mother. It was difficult for her parents to decide to send her to Singapore, and her father was initially against the idea as at the time she was training with a provincial swimming team and earning a monthly salary of RNB
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
500, and there was a good chance she might do well enough to join the Chinese national team. However, they decided to do so after she was deemed too short for the national team. As her mother was not earning much, she found covering Tao's swimming expenses difficult. In addition, because Tao's English was not good, she had to join a Primary 5 class in Queenstown Primary School though she was three years older than her classmates and found things tough-going. However, she worked hard and took extra language lessons, and now converses fluently in English.
Tao became a Singapore citizen
Singaporean nationality law
Singaporean nationality law is derived from the Constitution of Singapore and is based on jus sanguinis and a modified form of jus soli...
in August 2005. She is a Secondary 3 student at the Singapore Sports School
Singapore Sports School
The Singapore Sports School is a specialized independent school in Singapore. It was initiated by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports , and caters to sporting teenagers who have talent in sports....
in 2008, and is expected to continue her education there until she graduates with a diploma in sports science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
under an arrangement between the school and the Auckland University of Technology
Auckland University of Technology
The Auckland University of Technology is a university in New Zealand. It was formed on 1 January 2000 when the Auckland Institute of Technology was granted university status. Its primary campus is on Wellesley Street in Auckland's Central business district...
. She trains under the school's swimming coach Peter Churchill. Previously at the Aquatic Performance Swim Club under former Olympian Ang Peng Siong
Ang Peng Siong
Ang Peng Siong is a swimmer from Singapore, who once held the world no.1 ranking in the 50 m freestyle.-Biography:Ang was taught to swim at the age of five by his father Ang Teck Bee, who competed in judo at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo...
from 2001, following what was reported to be a contract dispute she started training in October 2006 with another former Olympian, David Lim, at Swimfast Aquatic Club.
Career as national swimmer
Tao has represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian GamesSoutheast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
(SEA Games) and Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
. Following her success at the 1st Hong Kong Open Invitational Championships in 2005 at which she won four gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s and was named most outstanding female swimmer, at the 23rd SEA Games
2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 23rd Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila...
held in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
later that year, she won golds for the 100 metres backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
, 200 metres butterfly
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
, and 4 x 100 metres medley relay with teammates Ho Shu Yong, Nicolette Teo
Nicolette Teo
Nicolette Teo Wei-min is a Singaporean swimmer who specializes in breaststroke.-High school:Nicolette was a former student at Methodist Girls' School in Singapore. Nicolette represented Mission Viejo High School in the California Interscholastic Federation's swimming tournament...
and Joscelin Yeo
Joscelin Yeo
Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling is a Nominated Member of Parliament and a former competitive swimmer from Singapore. Yeo won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games, as well as represented the Republic in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Summer Olympics...
.
In March the following year, she won gold in the 50 metres butterfly at the Milo Asia Swimming Championships in Singapore, the Republic's first top award at the competition. Between 16 and 21 March 2006 she took part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, reaching the finals of the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres butterfly, though she did not gain any medals. In December the same year, Tao won a gold medal at the 50 metres butterfly in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
's 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
, beating China's multi-gold medallist Xu Yanwei
Yanwei Xu
Xu Yanwei is an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from the People's Republic of China, who became part of the Chinese national swimming team in 2000. She competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens....
and breaking her own national record in the process. She also won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the 100 metres butterfly earlier in the tournament, recording a national and Asian mark of 58.96 seconds.
Tao became the first Singaporean female swimmer to reach a FINA World Aquatics Championships final. The 2007 World Aquatics Championships
2007 World Aquatics Championships
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships or the XII FINA World Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007...
were held in Melbourne from 17 March to 1 April 2007, and she finished seventh in the 50 metres butterfly
Swimming at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
The swimming competition at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 25 March to 1 April.Morning/heats sessions began at 10:00 a.m., with the evening sessions beginning at 7:00 p.m. All events were contested in a long-course pool...
. Later that year at the 2007 SEA Games
2007 Southeast Asian Games
The 24th Southeast Asian Games was held in Nakhon Ratchasima , Thailand from December 6 to December 15, 2007....
in Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima or is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district...
(Korat), Thailand, she was Singapore's most medalled athlete at the Games, winning four gold medals in the 100 metres backstroke, 100 and 200 metres butterfly, and 4 x 100 metres medley relay. On 28 June 2008, Tao was named Sportswoman of the Year in the Singapore Sports Awards given out by the Singapore National Olympic Council
Singapore National Olympic Council
The Singapore National Olympic Council, or commonly SNOC, is a registered society, recognised by the International Olympic Committee...
each year. She also won the award in 2007.
In January 2008, Tao became embroiled in controversy after the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) introduced a 15% levy on the cash awards given to swimmers, with about 6% set aside for youth development. As part of the government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
's Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP), she received S$
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
23,750 for winning three individual titles and one team gold at the 2007 SEA Games. She was therefore "taxed" S$3,562.50, with S$1,425 going to youth development. Unhappy with this, Tao said: "If they [the SSA] want to cultivate youth, they should find their own money, not pay using our awards. It's through our hard work that we got the money. So, I don't see the point that we should give the money to the youths." She also said it had been her school and not the SSA which had borne the expense of her overseas training. The SSA said it was "very disappointed" with her comments, and pointed out that the association had spent "easily in excess of $20,000" in sending her for competitions abroad such as the World Championships, Hong Kong Open and Japan International, and a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
. SSA Vice-President Oon Jin Gee told the press, "Even with the Sports School funding it, it's our taxpayers' dollars going into her development. It doesn't matter which avenue it comes from, it's still Singapore's support for her."
2008 Summer Olympics
Tao made her Olympic début for Singapore at the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, arriving ranked 26th out of 49 butterfly swimmers. On 9 August, the second day of the swimming competition
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held over a thirteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventional events ending on August 17 and the new marathon 10 km events being held on August 20 and 21...
, she qualified fourth fastest for the semifinals of the 100 metres butterfly after winning her heat with a personal best time of 57.77 seconds. The following day she made it to the finals, shaving off 0.23 seconds for another personal best time and new Asian record of 57.54 seconds. She came fourth behind her role model, Australian swimmer Lisbeth Trickett, and the USA's Christine Magnuson
Christine Magnuson
Christine Marie Magnuson is an American swimmer and two-time Olympic medalist.She has won a total of five medals in major international competition, four silvers, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships.-Personal:Magnuson went to high school...
and Australia's Jessicah Schipper
Jessicah Schipper
Jessicah Lee Schipper OAM is an Australian swimmer. She trained at the Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton club in Brisbane, under veteran coach Ken Wood up until the conclusion of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Schipper now trains under the guidance of Stephan Widmer with the Commercial Swimming Club...
. She thus set two Asian records and the national record for the event, and became the eighth fastest butterfly swimmer in the world and first Singaporean swimmer to enter an Olympic final. On 11 August, she came fifth at the 100 metres butterfly finals with a time of 57.99 seconds. The top three spots were taken by Trickett (56.73 seconds), Magnuson (57.10 seconds) and Schipper (57.25 seconds). Asked by The Straits Times about her performance, Tao said, "If I have given another personal best, it would not have gotten me a medal. The top three winners were just too good. I wanted to do my best and I pushed all the way and hoped for the best." Given Tao's age compared to those of the medallists, there are hopes that she will be able to improve her performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London.
On 12 August, Tao swam in the second heat of the 200 metres butterfly. She finished fifth (26th in a field of 34) and thus did not proceed to the semi-finals, but her time of 2 minutes 12.63 seconds was a new national record. Discussions have begun regarding plans for her future development. The Singapore Sports Council
Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council is a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports of the Singapore Government...
's high performance chief Wayde Clews has said: "Money will not be a prohibitive factor in providing the support and necessary resources for Tao Li to reach her full potential ... with the 2012 Olympics as the target." As Tao needs to gain more high-level competing experience, there is also the issue of whether she should continue training in Singapore or head overseas, particularly to Australia or the US.
Other events
On 1 November 2008 at the FINA/Arena Swimming World CupFINA Swimming World Cup
The FINA Swimming World Cup is an international series of short course swimming meets organized by FINA, the International Federation for swimming...
in Singapore, Tao achieved gold in the 100 metres short-course (25 metres) butterfly, and the following evening a bronze in the 50 metres butterfly in a personal-best time of 25.93 seconds. She repeated her feat in the 100 metres butterfly at the Stockholm leg of the competition on 11 November, and in Berlin on 15 November when she set a competition record with a time of 56.28 seconds. Tao was named the inaugural The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
Athlete of the Year 2008, and came second in Today
Today (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
newspaper's 2008 list of athletes of the year.
Tao participated in the 25th Southeast Asian Games
2009 Southeast Asian Games
The 25th Southeast Asian Games was held in Vientiane, Laos, in December 2009.This was the first time Laos had held the Southeast Asian Games...
in Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. On 10 December 2009, she took the gold in the 200 metres backstroke
Aquatics at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games
The aquatics events at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo. The events were held at the Aquatic Center, Swimming Pool, National Sports Complex, Laos.-Diving:...
in a time of 2 minutes 17.12 seconds. Three days later, she was part of the winning 4 x 100 metres medley relay team with Roanne Ho, Shana Lim and Quah Ting Wen, and on 14 December she broke her own 2005 Games record in the 200 metres butterfly in a time of 2 minutes 13.49 seconds. As she chalked up five wins, including the 100 metres backstroke and butterfly events, these were her most successful Games to date.
On 18 November 2010, Tao won Singapore
Singapore at the 2010 Asian Games
Singapore participated in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.-Medal Table:- Medalists :...
's first gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou was the second Chinese city to host the Games, after Beijing in 1990...
in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China, in the 50 metres butterfly. Her time of 26.10 seconds was a personal best as well as a national record. She had achieved silver in the 100 metres butterfly on 13 November.
Medals
| Time (min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... : s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Medal | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m backstroke | |||
| 1:02.96 (Games record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
12 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Aquatics at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games The aquatics events at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo. The events were held at the Aquatic Center, Swimming Pool, National Sports Complex, Laos.-Diving:... Vientiane Vientiane -Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the... , Laos Laos Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west... |
| 1:03.83 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
1 December 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Aquatics at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games The aquatics events at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo disciplines. All events were held in Trace College Aquatics Centre, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines-Swimming:... Los Baños Los Banos Los Banos could refer to:*Los Banos, California, United States*Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines... , Laguna, Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
| 1:04.05 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
9 December 2007 | 24th Southeast Asian Games Aquatics at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games The aquatics events at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo. The events were held at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.-Swimming:... Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima or is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district... (Korat), Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
| 200 m backstroke | |||
| 2:17:12 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
10 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
| 50 m butterfly | |||
| 0:26.10 (personal best, national record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
18 November 2010 | 2010 Asian Games Swimming at the 2010 Asian Games Swimming at the 2010 Asian Games was held at the Aoti Aquatics Centre in Guangzhou, China from November 13 to 18, 2010. This Aquatics discipline had 38 long course events: 19 for males and 19 for females.-Participating countries:... Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... |
| 0:26.73 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
7 December 2006 | 2006 Asian Games Swimming at the 2006 Asian Games The Swimming competition at the 2006 Asian Games took place December 2–9 at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha, Qatar. It featured 38 events , all conducted in a long course pool.-Participating countries:... Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... , Qatar Qatar Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its... |
| 0:26.92 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
6 March 2006 | Milo Asia Swimming Championships Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| 50 m butterfly (short course – 25 m) | |||
| 0:25.70 | Bronze Bronze medal A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St... |
16 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup FINA Swimming World Cup The FINA Swimming World Cup is an international series of short course swimming meets organized by FINA, the International Federation for swimming... Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
| 0:25.93 (personal best) |
Bronze Bronze medal A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St... |
2 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Singapore |
| 100 m butterfly | |||
| 0:58.24 | Silver Silver medal A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats.... |
13 November 2010 | 2010 Asian Games Guangzhou, China |
| 0:58.96 | Bronze Bronze medal A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St... |
2 December 2006 | 2006 Asian Games Doha, Qatar |
| 0:59.24 (Games record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
12 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
| 1:00.33 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
9 December 2007 | 24th Southeast Asian Games Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand |
| 1:01.10 | Bronze Bronze medal A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St... |
8 March 2006 | Milo Asia Swimming Championships Singapore |
| 1:01.53 | Bronze Bronze medal A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St... |
1 December 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines |
| 100 m butterfly (short course – 25 m) | |||
| 0:56.28 (competition record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
15 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Berlin, Germany |
| 0:56.85 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
1 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Singapore |
| 0:56.87 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
11 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
| 0:58.50 | Silver Silver medal A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats.... |
10 November 2008 | FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
| 200 m butterfly | |||
| 2:13.49 (Games record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
14 December 2005 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
| 2:14.11 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
3 December 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines |
| 2:15.63 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
11 December 2007 | 24th Southeast Asian Games Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand |
| 4 x 100 m medley relay | |||
| 4:10.38 (Games record) |
Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
13 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
| 4:13.18 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
11 December 2007 | 24th Southeast Asian Games Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand |
| 4:14.49 | Gold Gold medal A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture... |
2 December 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines |
National records
As of 18 November 2010, Tao was the holder of the following Singapore records:Open
| Event | Time (min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... : s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m backstroke | 0:29.20 | 4 December 2006 | 15th Asian Games Swimming at the 2006 Asian Games The Swimming competition at the 2006 Asian Games took place December 2–9 at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha, Qatar. It featured 38 events , all conducted in a long course pool.-Participating countries:... Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... , Qatar Qatar Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its... |
| 100 m backstroke | 1:02.96 | 12 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Aquatics at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games The aquatics events at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo. The events were held at the Aquatic Center, Swimming Pool, National Sports Complex, Laos.-Diving:... Vientiane Vientiane -Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the... , Laos Laos Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west... |
| 200 m backstroke | 2:17.12 | 10 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
| 50 m butterfly | 0:26.10 | 18 November 2010 | 16th Asian Games Swimming at the 2010 Asian Games Swimming at the 2010 Asian Games was held at the Aoti Aquatics Centre in Guangzhou, China from November 13 to 18, 2010. This Aquatics discipline had 38 long course events: 19 for males and 19 for females.-Participating countries:... Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... |
| 100 m butterfly | 0:57.54 | 10 August 2008 | 29th Summer Olympics Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held over a thirteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventional events ending on August 17 and the new marathon 10 km events being held on August 20 and 21... Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| 200 m butterfly | 2:12.63 | 12 August 2008 | 29th Summer Olympics Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| 4 x 100 m freestyle Freestyle swimming Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest... relay (with Ho Shu Yong, Mylene Ong Chui Bin and Lynette Ng Hiang Yuet) |
3:53.33 | 3 December 2006 | 15th Asian Games Doha, Qatar |
| 4 x 100 m medley relay (with Roanne Ho, Shana Lim and Quah Ting Wen) |
4:10.38 | 13 December 2009 | 25th Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos |
Some of the above information was obtained from .
Under 17 years of age
| Event | Time (min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... : s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m backstroke | 0:29.20 | 4 December 2006 | 15th Asian Games Swimming at the 2006 Asian Games The Swimming competition at the 2006 Asian Games took place December 2–9 at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha, Qatar. It featured 38 events , all conducted in a long course pool.-Participating countries:... Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... , Qatar Qatar Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its... |
| 100 m backstroke | 1:03.17 | 20 June 2007 | 3rd Singapore National Swim Championships Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
| 200 m backstroke | 2:17.55 | 29 November 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Aquatics at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games The aquatics events at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games included swimming, diving and water polo disciplines. All events were held in Trace College Aquatics Centre, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines-Swimming:... Los Baños Los Banos Los Banos could refer to:*Los Banos, California, United States*Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines... , Laguna, Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
| 50 m butterfly | 0:26.73 | 7 December 2006 | 15th Asian Games Doha, Qatar |
| 100 m butterfly | 0:58.96 | 2 December 2006 | 15th Asian Games Doha, Qatar |
| 200 m butterfly | 2:14.11 | 3 December 2005 | 23rd Southeast Asian Games Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines |
| 4 x 100 m medley relay (with Roanne Ho Ru'En, Koh Ting Ting and Mylene Ong Chui Bin) |
4:24.78 | 2 September 2006 | 2nd Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships 2006 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China |
The above information was obtained from .