THE spotlights shifted from the traditional powers to Unfamiliar territory in gymnastics on Sunday night in Atlanta. Ioannis Melissanidis won the first title for Greece in a century and Switzerland's Li Donghua won a gold for his adopted country in individual apparatus finals.
Melissanidis scored 9.850 points, edging out China's Li Xiaoshuang, the individual all around champion, as mistakes dogged the sport's elite including 1992 six time Olympic gold medallist Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus.
"I knew that no Greek gymnast had won the gold for 100 years and I had the whole country behind me. This Olympics really belong to Greece and I felt like I was in Athens, not in Atlanta," said Melissanidis.
Greece staged the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896 and Ioannis Mitropoulos won a gymnastics gold on the rings on that occasion.
Chinese born Li, who gained Swiss nationality in 1994, won the pommel horse with 9.875.
He met Esperanza Friedle on a crowded Beijing street in 1988, and married her after moving to Switzerland a year later. I dedicate this medal to my parents and the people of China who helped me along the way," he said. "But I compete for my new country and this medal belongs to Switzerland."
China, Russia and Romania won their share of medals. Romania collected a gold on the women's vault from Simona Amanar as well as one silver and two bronzes while Russia had one gold from Svetlana Chorkina on the uneven bars and two bronzes from Alexei Nemov on floor and pommel horse. China won three silvers.
Amanar, who won all round bronze, rose to the occasion on the last vault to soar to gold over China's Mo Huilan and fellow Romanian Gina Gogean, the all round silver medallist.
Chorkina, who won the uneven bars title at the 1996 World Championships, pulled off a difficult and dangerous manoeuvre, swinging from the low bar to the high with a double twist.
Coach Viktor Pilkin predicted the move would soon be famous. "Maybe it will be known as Chorkina swing," he said. "We already have the Yurchenko vault and the Korbut back somersault on the beam."
The gymnast developed the move for the Olympics but bungled it during the all around competition.
"I made a mistake then but I took the chance and went for it again to night," she said.
Chorkina's elegant routine lifted her over China's Bi Wenjiing and American Amy Chow, who tied 0.13 of a point behind the Russian to take away silvers.
Italy's Yuri Chechi won the last event of the night, taking the title on the men's rings. Chechi, the heavy favourite, finally earned the Olympic gold, the only medal he was missing in his collection of world and European titles.
