Portrait of Li Jiawei

Birthday profile

Li Jiawei

Li Jiawei, Singaporean table tennis player

Born
August 9, 1981
Age in 2026
45
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1981

About Li Jiawei

Li Jiawei (Chinese: 李佳薇; pinyin: Lǐ Jiāwēi; born 9 August 1981) is a retired Chinese-born former Singaporean table tennis player, four-time Olympian, and twice Olympic medalist. She trained in Beijing's famous Shichahai Sports School with Olympic medalist Zhang Yining. In 1995, she moved to Singapore and in the following year, she commenced her international career as a competitive table tennis player. She became a Singapore citizen at the age of 18 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme. Li's highest world singles ranking was in December 2005, when she was placed third. Li was also a key player for the Singaporean women's team and doubles, and mixed doubles events, having participated in three Olympics and achieving a medal for the latter two. She finished in fourth place in singles at both the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing at which she was an official flagbearer. On 15 August 2008, the Singapore women's team, composed of Li and her teammates Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu, defeated South Korea 3–2 in the semifinals. However, in the finals on 17 August, the team lost to China and earned a silver medal, marking the first time that Singapore had won an Olympic medal since the nation's independence in 1965. The momentous occasion came 48 years after Tan Howe Liang won the country's first medal, a silver in weightlifting at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Li ended 2008 on a high, winning gold in the women's team event with Feng and Wang at the ITTF Pro Tour ERKE German Open in Berlin in November, and in the doubles with Sun Beibei at the ITTF Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Macau in December 2008. Li won the women's team bronze medal with Feng and Wang at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Soon after, she announced her retirement from competitive sports on 27 December 2012.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Li Jiawei timeline

  1. The momentous occasion came 48 years after Tan Howe Liang won the country's first medal, a silver in weightlifting at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
  2. However, in the finals on 17 August, the team lost to China and earned a silver medal, marking the first time that Singapore had won an Olympic medal since the nation's independence in 1965.
  3. Li won the women's team bronze medal with Feng and Wang at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The world when Li Jiawei was born

Li Jiawei was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Li Jiawei's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.