Lin Li is a swimmer who has competed for China. She competed at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
A finalist in the medley double (200 and 400) at Seoul 1988, Lin returned to her second Games in Barcelona four years later as an overwhelming favorite for the gold. She claimed her first individual medal with a silver in the 400 metres individual medley, losing the title to Krisztina Egerszegi by two tenths of a second (0.2). She added her second silver in the 200 metres breaststroke and rebounded from her 400 IM defeat to snatch one of the four golds awarded to the female Chinese swimmers in the 200 metres individual medley. Her world record lasted for five years until Wu Yanyan lowered it at the national championships in Shanghai.
Lin returned to her third Games in 1996 as the defending champion of the 200 metres individual medley. There, she closed out her Olympic career with a bronze in the final, trailing the runner-up Marianne Limpert and the winner Michelle Smith by almost a full second.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Women's 200m backstroke | 11th |
| Women's 200m individual medley | 7th | |
| Women's 400m individual medley | 7th | |
| 1992 | Women's 200m backstroke | 12th |
| Women's 200m breaststroke | 
| |
| Women's 200m individual medley | 
| |
| Women's 400m individual medley |
| |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay | 4th | |
| 1996 | Women's 200m breaststroke | 16th |
| Women's 200m individual medley | 
|
1988[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 200 metres backstroke | Heats | 2:18.11 |
| B Final | 2:16.68 | |
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:17.09 |
| A Final | 2:17.42 | |
| 400 metres individual medley | Heats | 4:48.89 |
| A Final | 4:47.05 |
1992[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 metres backstroke | Heats | 2:15.87 | |
| B Final | 2:15.38 | ||
| 200 metres breaststroke | Heats | 2:29.99 | |
| A Final | 2:26.85 | NR | |
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:15.68 | |
| A Final | 2:11.65 | WR | |
| 400 metres individual medley | Heats | 4:45.74 | |
| A Final | 4:36.73 | AR | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 4:12.55 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 4:06.78 (1:02.90 split) |
AR |
1996[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 200 metres breaststroke | Heats | 2:30.64 |
| B Final | 2:33.45 | |
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:16.31 |
| A Final | 2:14.74 |