<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>12:48 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>18645.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>I can't wait to be a mummy
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>As Li Jiawei turns 28 on National Day, her birthday wish is that she gives birth to a healthy baby. But she also hopes to give S'pore another Olympic medal </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Lin Xinyi
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Pregnancy has been bliss for a radiant-looking Li Jiawei, and she is all warmed-up for her next big moment - one that is more important than any she has faced when representing Singapore. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->She helped deliver Singapore its first Olympic medal in 48 years at last August's Beijing Olympic Games.
A year on, Li Jiawei is preparing for a very different delivery of her own.
As she sits down with The Sunday Times ahead of her National Day birthday, Li, who turns 28 today, is all baby talk.
Not surprising, given that the table tennis player is expecting her first child in October.
'We are going to have a boy,' she reveals for the first time, as she strokes her now very visible baby bump.
'We haven't thought of a name yet. But I'm not too concerned about that, or even whether it's a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy baby.'
Last seen publicly during the Singapore Sports Awards in June, Li, who married Chinese businessman Li Chao, 36, last September, is now clearly showing signs of her impending motherhood.
It is a fact the Beijing-born player, who is into her seventh month of pregnancy, is well aware of.
Not known for expressing her emotions on court - she often wears a blank look in competition - it was a sheepish, almost awkward woman who greets The Sunday Times at her Kembangan condominium.
'Hi, come on in,' she ushers, with only her head sticking out behind the door, her body well hidden behind the wooden frame.
For all of three seconds, her baby bump is concealed.
Then, in a blink of an eye, her belly the size of a beach ball, becomes unmistakable.
She shifts uncomfortably, a contrast to the times when the world-class paddler danced across table tennis tables, and lets out a sigh.
'You won't believe what happened to me that day,' she says.
That day was two weeks ago, when her shopping trip to the newly opened Ion Orchard ended prematurely.
A passer-by had bumped into her and asked if she was Jiawei.
'That aunty just couldn't believe it was me because I look so different now,' recounts Li, who has added 12kg to her previous 58kg frame.
'After that encounter, I just left the mall. I don't dare go out any more!'
As it is, the once self-confessed shopaholic is now keeping a low profile.
Gruelling daily sessions at the Singapore Table Tennis Association have been replaced with another form of training - reading materials online for a sports science Master's degree she is pursuing at the Beijing Sports University.
Shopping trips to Orchard Road have also taken a back seat as she acquires a new taste - classical music.
'I'm not a fan of this type of music,' she says, as the sounds of Mozart fill her living room.
'But I've just started (on the 12-CD collection) because it's supposed to be good for the baby.'
Having a baby in Singapore was probably the least of her expectations when she arrived as a wide-eyed 14-year-old in 1996 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme.
But after over a decade of living in the Republic and winning countless medals for Singapore - the most recent being the women's team silver at last year's Olympics - Singapore is where she calls home.
Li, who is among only a handful of Singapore sportsmen who have become millionaires, is thankful for what she has achieved in her adopted country.
The security, the opportunities and the sound education system here are what she hopes her child too can one day enjoy.
'Whenever it's National Day, I'm reminded of everything Singapore has given me. I'm a Singapore citizen and my son will be too,' she adds.
As she settles on the sofa to talk, it soon becomes apparent that, other than her belly, there are very few signs of her imminent motherhood.
The three-room apartment is uncluttered and has no hint of a crib, baby toys, or nursery decorations.
But while preparations for her bundle of joy might still be in their infancy, Li could not be more ready to be a mum.
'I'm really looking forward to that moment,' she says, looking radiant even without make-up and in unglamorous bedroom slippers.
And just as she would be before any big match, she is all warmed up for the biggest role of her life.
In Beijing, she had experienced 'motherhood' when she took care of her cousin's three-month-old son.
'Now I'm pretty familiar with what needs to be done if a baby cries,' she said, beaming like a proud, 'experienced' mum.
'I saw him almost every day. I bathed, fed and carried him. It was such an enjoyable experience.'
Without her nephew around, she has less on her plate these days.
Figuratively, at least, now that she eats for two.
With hardly any cravings other than for durians, she has been eating anything and everything to the tune of eight meals a day.
When she is not resting or relaxing, she is usually watching her teammates train at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) or taking her daily half-hour swim at the condo pool.
But rather than reading up about sport, she is itching to play it again.
Not since January, when she lost to reigning Olympic champion Zhang Yining in the women's singles semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions, has she made a competitive outing.
But once her hiatus ends, her hunt for a second Olympic medal in as many Games will begin.
A memory of last year's silver medal-winning feat sits proudly in her living room: A framed photo taken in Beijing of herself with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and President SR Nathan, who had congratulated her on the achievement.
That medal is in her house in Beijing.
At Kembangan, there are no medals or trophies on display.
But the few that have been tucked away in a closet might soon have some company.
'Failure at the 2012 London Olympics never crossed my mind,' she says. 'Under STTA president Lee Bee Wah, I'm very confident that we'll win another medal.'
For now, Li is enjoying the absence of match pressure and a break from the demands of training and competing relentlessly.
'People say that pregnancy is bliss,' she says. 'It's true.'
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>As Li Jiawei turns 28 on National Day, her birthday wish is that she gives birth to a healthy baby. But she also hopes to give S'pore another Olympic medal </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Lin Xinyi
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Pregnancy has been bliss for a radiant-looking Li Jiawei, and she is all warmed-up for her next big moment - one that is more important than any she has faced when representing Singapore. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->She helped deliver Singapore its first Olympic medal in 48 years at last August's Beijing Olympic Games.
A year on, Li Jiawei is preparing for a very different delivery of her own.
As she sits down with The Sunday Times ahead of her National Day birthday, Li, who turns 28 today, is all baby talk.
Not surprising, given that the table tennis player is expecting her first child in October.
'We are going to have a boy,' she reveals for the first time, as she strokes her now very visible baby bump.
'We haven't thought of a name yet. But I'm not too concerned about that, or even whether it's a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy baby.'
Last seen publicly during the Singapore Sports Awards in June, Li, who married Chinese businessman Li Chao, 36, last September, is now clearly showing signs of her impending motherhood.
It is a fact the Beijing-born player, who is into her seventh month of pregnancy, is well aware of.
Not known for expressing her emotions on court - she often wears a blank look in competition - it was a sheepish, almost awkward woman who greets The Sunday Times at her Kembangan condominium.
'Hi, come on in,' she ushers, with only her head sticking out behind the door, her body well hidden behind the wooden frame.
For all of three seconds, her baby bump is concealed.
Then, in a blink of an eye, her belly the size of a beach ball, becomes unmistakable.
She shifts uncomfortably, a contrast to the times when the world-class paddler danced across table tennis tables, and lets out a sigh.
'You won't believe what happened to me that day,' she says.
That day was two weeks ago, when her shopping trip to the newly opened Ion Orchard ended prematurely.
A passer-by had bumped into her and asked if she was Jiawei.
'That aunty just couldn't believe it was me because I look so different now,' recounts Li, who has added 12kg to her previous 58kg frame.
'After that encounter, I just left the mall. I don't dare go out any more!'
As it is, the once self-confessed shopaholic is now keeping a low profile.
Gruelling daily sessions at the Singapore Table Tennis Association have been replaced with another form of training - reading materials online for a sports science Master's degree she is pursuing at the Beijing Sports University.
Shopping trips to Orchard Road have also taken a back seat as she acquires a new taste - classical music.
'I'm not a fan of this type of music,' she says, as the sounds of Mozart fill her living room.
'But I've just started (on the 12-CD collection) because it's supposed to be good for the baby.'
Having a baby in Singapore was probably the least of her expectations when she arrived as a wide-eyed 14-year-old in 1996 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme.
But after over a decade of living in the Republic and winning countless medals for Singapore - the most recent being the women's team silver at last year's Olympics - Singapore is where she calls home.
Li, who is among only a handful of Singapore sportsmen who have become millionaires, is thankful for what she has achieved in her adopted country.
The security, the opportunities and the sound education system here are what she hopes her child too can one day enjoy.
'Whenever it's National Day, I'm reminded of everything Singapore has given me. I'm a Singapore citizen and my son will be too,' she adds.
As she settles on the sofa to talk, it soon becomes apparent that, other than her belly, there are very few signs of her imminent motherhood.
The three-room apartment is uncluttered and has no hint of a crib, baby toys, or nursery decorations.
But while preparations for her bundle of joy might still be in their infancy, Li could not be more ready to be a mum.
'I'm really looking forward to that moment,' she says, looking radiant even without make-up and in unglamorous bedroom slippers.
And just as she would be before any big match, she is all warmed up for the biggest role of her life.
In Beijing, she had experienced 'motherhood' when she took care of her cousin's three-month-old son.
'Now I'm pretty familiar with what needs to be done if a baby cries,' she said, beaming like a proud, 'experienced' mum.
'I saw him almost every day. I bathed, fed and carried him. It was such an enjoyable experience.'
Without her nephew around, she has less on her plate these days.
Figuratively, at least, now that she eats for two.
With hardly any cravings other than for durians, she has been eating anything and everything to the tune of eight meals a day.
When she is not resting or relaxing, she is usually watching her teammates train at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) or taking her daily half-hour swim at the condo pool.
But rather than reading up about sport, she is itching to play it again.
Not since January, when she lost to reigning Olympic champion Zhang Yining in the women's singles semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions, has she made a competitive outing.
But once her hiatus ends, her hunt for a second Olympic medal in as many Games will begin.
A memory of last year's silver medal-winning feat sits proudly in her living room: A framed photo taken in Beijing of herself with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and President SR Nathan, who had congratulated her on the achievement.
That medal is in her house in Beijing.
At Kembangan, there are no medals or trophies on display.
But the few that have been tucked away in a closet might soon have some company.
'Failure at the 2012 London Olympics never crossed my mind,' she says. 'Under STTA president Lee Bee Wah, I'm very confident that we'll win another medal.'
For now, Li is enjoying the absence of match pressure and a break from the demands of training and competing relentlessly.
'People say that pregnancy is bliss,' she says. 'It's true.'
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
