Carole Durussel
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- Top pick
Simon Ammann
19.01.2024 – Stéphane Herzog
How many times has Swiss ski jumping champion Simon Amman taken off during his career, having started at the age of 11? About 4,000 jumps, with an average duration of four seconds. That works out at slightly over four hours floating between earth and sky. Given that ski jumpers describe these moments as timeless, that is a huge total. The time spent in the air stays in the mind. And that is 80 percent of the sport’s appeal. The indescribable joy of ski-powered flying at more than 100 km/h - welcome to the sporting world of Simon Amman, the ski jumper from Unterwasser in the canton of St Gallen, who keeps jumping despite regular media hints about his pending retirement. A photo from 2002 shows Amman celebrating two gold medals from the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
His tousled hair sticks up over a pair of oval glasses. He is wearing a chestnut brown checked shirt. The Americans think he looks like Harry Potter. To the Swiss, he is the flying bird from Toggenburg. This son of a farmer is known as Simon, or Simi to his friends. Amman is known for his compact position during take-off and his capacity to keep his form in flight. He also lands with remarkable precision. These qualities have made Simi a global star: four-time Olympic champion, double gold medallist. At the same time, he has known failure as well, having experienced a marked dip in form in 2015. However, from then on Simon has rediscovered his edge, having decided to lead with his right foot on landing. A minor revolution. In March 2023, Simi, aged 41, was the veteran and top Swiss performer at the world championships in Planica, Slovenia. And he will fly again.
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