Palm protectors and pommel horse belonging to LI Donghua (SUI), Olympic champion, Atlanta 1996 This pommel horse was used by the Olympic champion during his preparatory training for the Games. Palm protectors and pommel horse belonging to Donghua LI (SUI), Olympic champion, Atlanta 1996 This pommel horse was used by the Olympic champion during his preparatory training for the Games. Under the pommel horse, you will see that Donghua LI wrote: "WM 1996.4; EM 1996.5; OS 1996.8", which corresponds to his three objectives of the year: win the World Championships (Weltmeisterschaften) in April, the European Championships (Europameisterschaften) in May, and the Olympic Games (Olympischen Spielen) in August. This is what he managed in fact, as he won the silver medal at the Worlds, and gold at the Europeans and Games. LI was born in Chengdu in China and joined the national team aged 16. Following his marriage to a Swiss woman in 1988, he was no longer allowed to compete for China. He subsequently applied for Swiss nationality and obtained it in 1994. Two years later, at the Atlanta Games, he won Switzerland’s first gymnastics medal since 1952.