Simon Ammann (/ˈsmɒn/; born 25 June 1981) is a Swiss ski jumper. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport, having won four individual Winter Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2010. His other achievements include winning the 2007 Ski Jumping World Championships, the 2010 Ski Flying World Championships, the 2010 Nordic Tournament, and the 2010 Ski Jumping World Cup overall title.

Simon Ammann
Ammann in 2011
Born (1981-06-25) 25 June 1981 (age 43)
Grabs, Switzerland
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Ski clubSSC Toggenburg
Personal best239.5 m (786 ft) National record
Vikersund, 2017
World Cup career
Seasons1998–present
Starts502
Podiums80
Wins23
Overall titles1 (2010)
Nordic titles1 (2010)
Medal record
Representing  Switzerland
Men's ski jumping
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 0 0
World Championships 1 1 2
Ski Flying World Championships 1 0 0
Total 6 1 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City Individual NH
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City Individual LH
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver Individual NH
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver Individual LH
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Sapporo Individual LH
Silver medal – second place 2007 Sapporo Individual NH
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Liberec Individual NH
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Oslo Individual LH
Men's ski flying
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Planica Individual
Updated on 24 March 2024.

Career

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Ammann made his debut at the age of 16 during the 1997–98 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season. He qualified for the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, where he finished 35th.

Before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Ammann crashed and suffered injuries during training in Willingen. Despite this, he won a gold medal in both the individual normal hill and large hill competitions, being only the second athlete to accomplish this feat (Matti Nykänen having done so in 1988). During the Olympics, Ammann gained international attention not only for his victories but also for his youthful and bespectacled appearance on the podium that many compared to Harry Potter.[2] In addition to acquiring Swiss stardom he also made appearances on American talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman (on 20 February 2002).

Ammann also won the ski jumping event at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in 2002 and 2007. This earned him the Holmenkollen medal in 2007 (shared with Frode Estil, Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, King Harald V, and Queen Sonja of Norway).

He made his third Olympic appearance in 2006 in Turin, Italy.

On 24 February 2007, he won his first medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a victory in the individual large hill in Sapporo, Japan. Ammann would follow this with a silver medal in the individual normal hill the following week. Ammann would complete his set of medals with a bronze medal in the individual normal hill event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic.

In 2010, competing in his fourth Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, Ammann won the gold medal in the individual normal hill event, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win gold medals in the individual normal hill event at two Olympic Games. He also won a gold medal in the individual large hill event, thus becoming the first athlete to win gold medals in both individual ski jumping events at two Olympic Games, as well as the most decorated Swiss Olympic athlete of all time.

In March 2010, Ammann became the overall winner of the 2009–10 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, winning all four events at the Nordic Tournament and nine World Cup events in one season overall. He finished the season by becoming the ski flying World Champion in Planica. His 236.5 metres (776 ft) fourth round jump was the longest jump of the event, and also the second longest jump in history at the time.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, he was selected as flag-bearer for the Switzerland Winter Olympics team.[3]

On 6 January 2015, Ammann was injured on his second-round jump in Bischofshofen during the final stage of the 2014–15 Four Hills Tournament. His representation has since stated that his condition is stable, with most of the damage being on his face.[citation needed]

Ammann also competed in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, with his best finish being eleventh place in the normal hill event in 2018.[4]

In February 2024, in Lake Placid, he made his 500th individual start in the World Cup.[5]

World Cup

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Standings

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 Season  Overall 4H SF RA NT JP
1997–98 70 48 N/A 67
1998–99 63 N/A
1999–00 45 70 N/A 45
2000–01 N/A N/A
2001–02 7 6 N/A N/A 4 N/A
2002–03 28 24 N/A N/A 13 N/A
2003–04 13 14 N/A N/A   N/A
2004–05 23 37 N/A N/A 27 N/A
2005–06 17 13 N/A N/A 21 N/A
2006–07     N/A N/A   N/A
2007–08 9 15 N/A N/A 20 N/A
2008–09       N/A   N/A
2009–10   5   N/A   N/A
2010–11     5 N/A N/A N/A
2011–12 11 19   N/A N/A N/A
2012–13 14 27 10 N/A N/A N/A
2013–14 7   4 N/A N/A N/A
2014–15 11 17 N/A N/A N/A
2015–16 15 11 15 N/A N/A N/A
2016–17 29 44 24 11 N/A N/A
2017–18 19 29 11 12 N/A N/A
2018–19 24 13 13 6 N/A N/A
2019–20 35 27 32 N/A N/A
2020–21 41 47 N/A N/A N/A
2021–22 41 37 40 35 N/A N/A
2022–23 47 32 25 N/A N/A
2023–24 52 32 N/A N/A

Wins

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No. Season Date Location Hill Size
1 2001–02 17 March 2002     Oslo Holmenkollbakken K115 LH
2 2006–07 2 December 2006     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS134 LH
3 18 March 2007     Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS128 LH
4 2008–09 29 November 2008     Kuusamo Rukatunturi HS142 LH
5 7 December 2008     Trondheim Granåsen HS140 LH
6 13 December 2008     Pragelato Stadio del Trampolino HS140 LH
7 20 December 2008     Engelberg Gross-Titlis-Schanze HS137 LH
8 29 December 2008     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS137 LH
9 2009–10 6 December 2009     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS138 LH
10 18 December 2009     Engelberg Gross-Titlis-Schanze HS137 LH
11 20 December 2009     Engelberg Gross-Titlis-Schanze HS137 LH
12 17 January 2010     Sapporo Ōkurayama HS134 LH
13 3 February 2010     Klingenthal Vogtland Arena HS140 LH
14 7 March 2010     Lahti Salpausselkä HS130 LH
15 9 March 2010     Kuopio Puijo HS127 LH
16 12 March 2010     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS138 LH
17 14 March 2010     Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS134 LH
18 2010–11 1 January 2011     Garmisch-Partenkirchen Große Olympiaschanze HS140 LH
19 22 January 2011     Zakopane Wielka Krokiew HS134 LH
20 13 March 2011     Lahti Salpausselkä HS130 LH
21 2013–14 29 December 2013     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS137 LH
22 2014–15 28 November 2014     Kuusamo Rukatunturi HS142 LH
23 29 November 2014     Kuusamo Rukatunturi HS142 LH

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Simon Ammann – Player Profile". eurosport.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Swiss 'Harry Potter' takes flight". 15 February 2002. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  3. ^ "The day when Simon Ammann became the most decorated Olympic ski jumper". olympics.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  4. ^ "AMMANN Simon – Athlete Information – Olympic Winter Games". fis-ski.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Ski jumping World Cup returns to Lake Placid". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Swiss Sportsmen of the Year
2002
2010
Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for Switzerland
Sochi 2014
Succeeded by