One year before, Liivamagi rose to international fame at the 2006 European Junior Swimming Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, where he earned a silver medal in the 200 m individual medley.

[6] Shortly after his first Olympics, Liivamagi matriculated at the University of California, Berkeley in fall 2008, where he majored in political economy with a focus on industrial societies and globalization.

[7] While attending UC Berkeley, Liivamagi still continued to fulfill prior commitments for the Estonian swimming team, by showing great improvement on the world stage.

[14] At the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, Liivamagi failed to advance into the semifinals of the 200 m individual medley, as he finished his preliminary run in twenty-sixth place, outside his record time of 2:01.88.

[16][17][18] During his Olympic run, Liivamagi was fully trained by California Golden Bears coach Greg Meehan, who served as an assistant for the Estonian team.

[20][21] In the 200 m individual medley, Liivamagi challenged seven other swimmers on the second heat, including fellow Olympic veterans Bradley Ally of Barbados and Raphaël Stacchiotti of Luxembourg.