Li Donghua: Difference between revisions
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==From China to Switzerland== |
==From China to Switzerland== |
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He won the Chinese national gymnastic championships |
He won the Chinese national gymnastic championships on 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.<ref>Clarey, C. "Love Conquers All, Eventually". New York Times, April 14, 1996.</ref> |
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==Olympics and World Championships== |
==Olympics and World Championships== |
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Revision as of 21:47, 21 February 2011
| Li Donghua | |
|---|---|
 Donghua Li in 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Donghua Li |
| Country represented |  Switzerland |
| Former countries represented |  China |
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics |
Donghua Li (Chinese: 李东华, Pinyin: Lǐ Dōng Huá, born December 10, 1967 in Chengdu, China) is a Swiss gymnast from China. Originally a successful gymnast from China, he met a Swiss citizen while recovering from injury, fell in love with her, and emigrated to Switzerland, where he eventually acquired citizenship and began competing for that country internationally. He won the gold medal the Pommel Horse in the 1996 Summer Olympics as a Swiss citizen.
From China to Switzerland
He won the Chinese national gymnastic championships on 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.[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 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
- Donghua Li at the International Gymnastics Federation
- Official Homepage (German)
- List of competitive results at Gymn Forum
- Love Conquers All, Eventually
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