Simon Ammann

Simon Ammann ( born June 25, 1981 in Grabs ) is a Swiss ski jumper. Ammann has grown up in underwater in the canton of St. Gallen and went to school. With his Russian wife he lives since 2008 in Schindellegistrasse in Canton Schwyz. His greatest successes came at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010 when he won each on both the normal and large hill. For many years Ammann belongs resistant to the world's best. With four gold medals Ammann is the most successful ski jumpers at the Olympic individual events and the most successful Swiss Winterolympionike. In the 2009/10 season he won the overall World Cup.

Career

Simon Ammann made ​​for the first time at the opening competition of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf on 29 December 1997 attention to themselves, as the then 16 -year-old surprisingly reached the 15th place, which he qualified for the Olympic team in Switzerland. The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano were not very successful, Simon Ammann finished in the individual competition of the 35th and the 39th place. In subsequent years, sporting success did not materialize. A second place in December 2001 at the World Cup in Engelberg and two podiums in Predazzo brought Ammann first time in the vicinity of the world's best. Simon Ammann was third in the opening event of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf, reaching a total of sixth place.

The final breakthrough came Simon Ammann surprising at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City by winning the gold medal at both the normal hill and on the big hill. At the normal hill he left Sven Hanna forest and Adam Malysz behind. On the big hill he won before Adam Malysz and Matti Hautamäki. After the Olympics, he won the World Cup competition at Holmenkollen 2002. Thereafter, however, Ammann increasingly lost his good form. At the Olympic Winter Games in 2006 he fell, making a title defense impossible. After this incident, Ammann, however, could increase its services constantly and finally won in Kranj (Slovenia ) his first summer competition.

On 2 December 2006, he won a jump competition in Lillehammer before his Swiss teammate Andreas Küttel. This was the first Swiss double success in the history of the ski jumping World Cup. For the first time in his career Ammann was so World Cup leader. At home World Cup on 16 and 17 December, 2006 Engelberg, he took a second and a fourth place and thus went as World Cup overall leader in the beginning on 29 December 2006 55th Four Hills Tournament, which he finished in third place.

In the Nordic World Ski Championships followed in 2007 by winning the world title on the large hill, another career highlight. He suggested the Finn Harri Olli to just two tenths of a point. When jumping on the normal hill, he won the silver medal. He had to leave only the superior Adam Malysz ( 21.5 points ahead ) go first. The World Cup 2006/ 07 he finished behind Adam Malysz, Anders Jacobsen in third place; its up now by far the best placement. Together with Andreas Küttel ( fifth place ), he achieved the best result of the season in the Swiss ski jumping history. For the first time Switzerland was also in the team standings to third place ahead of established ski jumping nations such as Finland. The following season 2007/2008 brought a small setback with ninth overall. Of this, however, he recovered quickly. In the next World Cup 2008/2009 he reached with the second overall his hitherto best result in the World Cup. This year he won five individual World Cup. Ammann had to admit defeat to the towering Gregor Schlierenzauer. In October 2009 he was able to celebrate (individual and team with the eastern Swiss Ski Federation ) to many international successes his first two Swiss Championships. Even the World Cup 2009/2010 started very successfully with three more victories to the Four Hills Tournament. But this he could not win again, Andreas Kofler won the Tour victory, while Ammann finished the tour at position five. At the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010, he won the gold medal on February 13 on the normal hill, just a week later, he sat down with his fourth triumph in an Olympic individual competition on the large hill through. With its four gold medals he is the most successful Swiss winter sports in the Olympics at all. He is also the first ski jumper, which managed to win four individual gold medals at the Olympic Games. He overtook the Finn Matti Nykänen, who could win three individual gold. With the victory in all four races yet ready to Olympia, Ammann was able for the first time win the World Cup as well as the Nordic tour in itself. On March 20, 2010 Ammann crowned his outstanding season with victory at the Ski Flying World Championships 2010 in Planica.

In the Swiss ski jumping championships 2010 in Einsiedeln Ammann won the normal hill behind Andreas Küttel and ahead of Marco Grigoli the silver medal. A year later - Küttel was now resigned - he could take back the title and win in front of Gregor Deschwanden and Pascal Egloff.

On February 7, 2014 Ammann represented Switzerland as flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. After the Winter Games for Ammann did not proceed as desired, he thought for some time about a career end. A few days before the World Cup final of the 2013/2014 season Ammann told, however, continue his career.

Sporting successes

Olympic Winter Games

Olympic 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City

• Gold in the individual jumping ( normal hill )

2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

• Gold in the individual jumping ( normal hill )

World Championships

Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in Sapporo

• Silver in the individual jumping ( normal hill )

Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec

• Bronze medal in the individual jumping ( normal hill )

Ski Flying World Championships 2010 in Planica

• Gold in the individual competition

Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo

Four Hills Tournament

Individual World Cup victories

World Cup rankings

Summer Grand Prix wins

Summer Grand Prix rankings

Hill records

Trivia

The rising popularity after his first Olympic victory led to an appearance on David Letterman's talk show in the U.S. and an appearance on "Wetten, dass. " Ammann was voted athlete of the year in Switzerland in 2002. He was also second in the award to the Swiss of the Year 2002.

Its exterior brought Ammann 2002 in the media comparing with the popular fictional character Harry Potter one. He specifically commented that in 2002 in an interview as follows: " The good thing was that Harry Potter is known all over the world. In America, that gives me an immense popularity. But my story is just not a fantasy, not a fairy tale. [ ... ] I have to distance themselves from been a fantasy character from a book. "

2010 Ammann honorary citizen of wild house - Alt St. Johann in the canton of St. Gallen.

Simon Ammann studied at the ETH Zurich.

On 25 June 2010 Ammann married his longtime girlfriend Yana Yanovskaya. On 12 December 2010 he received after 2002 again the Credit Suisse Sports Award as the Swiss Sportsman of the Year 2010.

Since 19 November 2012, Simon Ammann holder of a private pilot license ( PPL).