| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Donghua Li |
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| Men's Artistic Gymnastics | |||
Competitor for  Switzerland |
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| Olympic Games | |||
| Gold | 1996 Atlanta | Pommel Horse | |
Donghua Li (Chinese: 李东华, Pinyin: Lǐ Dōng Huá, born December 10, 1967 in Chengdu, China) is a Swiss gymnast who won gold in the Pommel Horse in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of Gymnastics. Competitive gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 Seconds on different apparatus Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International The pommel horse is an Artistic gymnastics apparatus It is traditionally used by Male Gymnasts due to intense strength requirements Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ( located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan province and a Sub-provincial city. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The pommel horse is an Artistic gymnastics apparatus It is traditionally used by Male Gymnasts due to intense strength requirements The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International
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From China to Switzerland
He won the Chinese national gymnastic championships in the Pommel Horse in 1987. However, a neck injury prevented him from making the 1988 Olympic team, and while injured he developed a relationship with Esperanza Friedli, a Swiss national who was backpacking in China. When he told his coaches he was to marry her, they told him to cut off his relationship or he would not be able to compete. He refused, and left for Lucerne with Esperanza. Lucerne ( Italian Lucerna) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne [1]
Olympics and World Championships
He subsequently had to wait 5 years before acquiring Swiss citizenship. In the meantime, he won the Swiss national championships in the Pommel Horse from 1989 to 1992, and won the overall title in 1993. Because he didn't have Swiss nationality, these were not official. When he finally got Swiss citizenship in 1994, he won bronze in the World Championship in Pommel Horse. The 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Brisbane, Australia from 19-24 April 1994 The next year, he won gold in the same event. Finally, in 1996, at the age of 28, he won both the European Gymnastic Championship and the Summer Olympics in Pommel Horse.
References
- ^ Clarey, C. "Love Conquers All, Eventually". New York Times, April 14, 1996.
External links
- Official Homepage (German)
- Official Homepage (Chinese)
- List of competitive results at Gymn Forum
- Love Conquers All, Eventually
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tony Rominger |
Swiss Sportsman of the Year 1995 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Michael von Grünigen |
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