portrait: Simon Ammann - two time double champion and still in the tracks
Simon Ammann - two time double champion and still in the tracks
Usually when an athlete get to a certain age is no longer so competitive or passionate towards the sport that he/she is has practiced throughout his/her life, especially when in career so much has already won. The key to everything is always only one, - or perhaps even some more - the hunger to win again in their sport, to excel, and maybe if possible, to bring down the curtain in style.
When we think of the names that are still part of the circuit of the World Cup, in ski jumping, some of these names may already enjoy their lives post races at home, with their family, concentrating on something else, doing different things.
But for some is not, - or was it - so easy to quit. Just think of Janne Ahonen, retired two times and come back to ski jumping twice. An Ahonen who is a legend of the sport with the trophies won by the finn in the World Cup, the four titles won at the 4 Hills-Tournament.
Right, talking about the Four Hills ... there are some of these athletes that though already won a lot in their career, there is still something which keeps them from retiring. As mentioned earlier, the hunger of victories for example, or excel in their sport, are factors that make it difficult, to quit the action of the competition, as well as the desire to bring home that single trophy, which they desperately wants to win.
Simon Ammann is not someone which in his career has never won anything, or who has never proven itself, because in fact it is the exact opposite. His first big success came 13 years ago, at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, where the then boy Ammann, won his first two Olympic gold medals on both, NH and LH hills, in the individual events.
- Personally I have vague memories of those games, I wasn't yet so passionate, to the winter sports, or at ski jumping, as i have become later on in the years, however, the memory of that little skinny boy, jumping all over for the joy and then taken on the shoulders of his teammates, has stuck in my mind-.
Sure Ammann after Salt Lake, has had a "dead" time, but has found, year after year that hunger - which nowadays he still has after so many victories - which has led him to win, so much in his career.
4 Olympic medals:
4 gold (normal hill, large hill in Salt Lake City in 2002; NH, and LH in Vancouver 2010)
World Championship 4 medals:
1 gold (LH Sapporo 2007)
1 silver (NH in Sapporo 2007)
2 bronzes (NH in Liberec 2009; LH in Oslo 2011)
World Ski Flying1 medal: 1 gold (individual in Planica 2010)
World Cup
Winner of the World Cup in 2010 78 podiums (all individual):
23 wins
31/2 places
24/3 places
Four Hills Tournament
16 podiums stage [4]:
3 wins
5/2 places
8/3 places
Nordic Tournament
Winner of the Nordic Tournament in 2010
11 podiums stage [4]:
6 wins
4/2 places
1 third place
In 2007 Ammann, has also honored by receiving the Holmenkollmedaljen, basically a, for those athletes who distinguish themselves in the Nordic ski disciplines, such as, ski jumping, nordic combined and cross country.
Therefore, we can certainly say that Simon Ammann career’s has been studded with great success, indeed. Unfortunately, there is still one thing, which is missing to the long list of trophies won by the Swiss ski jumper. Something that is most likely prolonging the agonistic presence of "Simi" in the world cup.
The Four Hills It is the only title missing from his long track of records. The Swiss wizard who went close to grab the 4HT title in the 2008/2009 season and in 2013/14, won in the end by the new face of the Austrian movement, Thomas Diethart.
As for this year’s turnee’, for Simon Ammann, it ended after his first jump, in the competition held in Oberstdorf, where the Swiss fell during his landing. In Innsbruck, Ammann had a good day, finishing second behind Anders Jacobsen (winner of the day). Unfortunately, in the race of Bischofshofen, Ammann had suffered another fell, a bad one so much so that he fainted and was rushed to hospital, where later he was told to rest, which meant no races for a couple of weeks, and goodbye to this year’s 4 Hills-Tournament.
It is fair to say, that each years, at the end of each seasons the question on everyone's mind, is always the same about Simon Ammann, whether or not he will carry on with ski jumping.
We like to think that we will see some more of Simi, in ski jumping and maybe he will have a long career, like that, one of another legendary man of the sport has, such Noriaki Kasai. That Ammann, will managed to win or not the Vierschanzetournee, the thing that every fan of him and of this sport hopes, is to be able to keep admire this great little man in actions, a person who always has a smile for everyone, a friendly word for everyone, which never deny himself to his fans. In three years’ time there will be the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in Korea, who knows, maybe the Swiss will carry on, and will try to become the first ski jumper in history to win six gold medals in ski jumping. For sure, Skijumpingitaly will be more than happy to write about it.
- by Consuelo Conte
