Donghua Li

Donghua Li (2013)

Donghua Li (born December 10, 1967 in Chengdu ) is a Swiss gymnast of Chinese origin. After moving to Switzerland with his then Swiss wife in 1989, he only took part in national championships for the time being. Five years later, he received Swiss citizenship and was therefore also eligible to compete internationally for Switzerland.

For Switzerland, he took part in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and achieved Olympic gold in his favorite discipline on the pommel horse . In the same year he resigned from top-class sport.

Donghua Li lives in Adligenswil and has a daughter (* 1996) from his first marriage. With a new partner, whom he lives separately, he had a son who died of cancer in 2019 at the age of seven.

Career highlights

• 1987 Chinese champion
• 1994 Swiss champion
• 1995 world champion
• 1996 European champion
• 1996 Olympic champion

Special successes

• Multiple Swiss all-around and equipment champion
• 1st place Federal Artistic Gymnastics Days Solothurn 1994
• Federal gymnastics festival winner 1996 Bern
• Sportsman of the year 1995 & 1996
• Several podium places in international competitions / tournaments

Essential life stations

1974:

• Start of regular gymnastics training (in a regional boarding school)

1978:

• Admission to the provincial squad of Sichuan.

1983:

• Admission to the Chinese national team in Beijing.

1984:

• Serious horse jumping accident: loss of spleen and left kidney.

1986:

• Accident during floor exercise: both Achilles tendons torn.

1987:

• First sporting highlight: Chinese champion on the pommel horse.

1988:

• 8 months before the Olympics (Seoul): fall from bars, compression of the 3rd and 4th 4. cervical vertebra.
• December 12: Marriage in Chengdu

1989:

• March 9th: The Li family enters Switzerland.
• November: first appearance as a gymnast in Switzerland: third place to SM on the pommel horse.

1990:

• Due to changes in the regulations, some of which were at short notice, Donghua Li was not awarded the title of "Swiss Champion" by the Swiss Association until 1993. During this time, Donghua won 7 SMs, but never became a champion (4 horses, 2 rings, 1 all-around).

1991:

• At the Swiss Federal Gymnastics Festival in 1991 in his native Lucerne, the judges did not award him the gymnastics festival victory he deserved.

1994:

• March 29th: the Swiss passport in the name of Donghua Li is issued.
• April: Bronze medal on horseback at the World Championships in Brisbane, Australia.
• November: Swiss champions in the all-around competition and on the pommel horse.

1995:

• August: Swiss champion in all-around and on horseback.
• October 9th: Donghua Li becomes world champion on pommel horse in Sabae, Japan.

1996: The most successful year: (all international successes on horses)

• April 19th: 2nd place at the World Championships in San Juan, PUR
• May 11th: European Champion in Copenhagen, Denmark
• June 22nd: Winner at the Swiss Federal Gymnastics Festival in Bern (all-around)
• July 28th: ​​Olympic Champion in Atlanta, USA
• Resignation as a top athlete

Web links

Commons : Donghua Li  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Donghua Li's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ «Janis will always stay with me». In: Blick.ch , August 22, 2019.