Tao Li

Who is Tao Li?

Tao Li is a China-born Singaporean competitive swimmer specializing in the backstroke and butterfly stroke.

A Singapore Sports School student, Tao has represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games and holds several national records. She won four gold medals 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, 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.