If you went back 20 years to the end of the 4-Hills-Tournament in January 2002 and asked the experts who could surprise at the Games in Salt Lake City, many of them would point out that Simon Ammann. At the turn of the year, the Swiss is doing very well – in the first 13 competitions of the 2001/2002 season, he was on the podium four times – twice, twice, third twice. On the lowest step of the podium, the state of, among others, in Oberstdorf, in the TCS opening competition.
And suddenly it came on January 11, 2002. The world of jumping held his breath as, during training in Willingen, Ammann le stepped out of the threshold, turned sideways in the air, and plopped down, hitting his face against the pain. The Swiss rolled over several times after hitting the snow, and for a long time seemed to be unconscious.
With the help of medical services, Ammann left the landing area on his own legs, which reassured the somewhat concerned fans. Soon after, the first information about the Swiss’s injuries appeared – in addition to numerous bruises and cuts on his face, Ammann also suffered a slight agitation of the brain. After being transported to the hospital, however, it turned out that he also injured the cervical vertebrae.
A great disposition that no one knew about
Early Swiss coach Berni Schoedler decided immediately after the fall in Willingen to withdraw Ammann from the World Cup competition. The Swiss will not perform in Zakopane, Hakuba and Sapporo. This was to give the 20-year-old Ammann time to come to his fullness and prepare for the upcoming Olympics. Resting physically and mentally, concentrating on leisurely training, has proven to be crucial.
Ammann will complete two camps before the Olympics – in St. Moritz and then in Engelberg. We know from later reports that he was already at his disposal at that time. – Simon has only just come back after a bunch of falls, and has already made some amazing jumps. By an extraordinary level. We knew that it might give him a place in the brain, Schoedler admitted years later.
In February 2002, however, virtually no one knew about it. Before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, no one gives Ammann a better chance of success. Sven Hannawald, who is ahead of Adam Maysz in the ratings, was to win two individual gold medals in bookmakers’ ratings.
Simon Ammann “stole” the gold from Maysz and Hannawald
And it was these two who were already doing very well in qualifying for the competition on the normal hill. The German will win them, and the Pole will make his longest jump – Maysz, however, will lose on the notes for style and eventually he would be third. And the favorites were separated by Ammann, who jumped a meter shorter than the Pole, as much as Hannawald.
However, the real sensations were yet to come.
Ammann is already leading after the first round of the competition on the normal hill, but Maysz is just a meter away. The Pole, however, will lose on the notes again, which would make him only the third. Hannawald was second, only 2.5 points behind the Swiss. Many may have wondered if Ammann would withstand the pressure of the decisive jump at the Olympics. After all, Ammann has yet to win a single World Cup competition in his career! Now he had a chance to go down in history.
Maysz will launch an attack – he will jump 98 meters in exquisite style. The Pole was already sure of the medal, at the same time setting a difficult task for his rivals. Hannawald, however, repelled the attack – 99 meters, very highly rated by the judges. Ammann had to jump at least 98 meters to defeat the German. And it will do! 98.5 meters, which made Ammann win her first Olympic gold medal by just 1.5 points.
Three days later, the scenario repeated itself. Ammann is leading after the first round, although this time tied with Hannawald, Maysz was third. In the second series, the Swiss will not allow his favored rivals to take his lead – he will jump 133 meters, the farthest in the competition. Thus, he won his second gold medal by demolishing his rivals. Maysz, after jumps on 131 and 128 meters, won the silver, losing to Ammann a 11.7 points, and the bar hit Matti Hautamaeki. Hannawald, who was finally fourth, losing the medal by just 0.7 points.
Success in Salt Lake City was the beginning of the great career of “Harry Potter”
Ammann made history with great impetus – he became only the second jumper in history to win two gold medals in individual competitions at one Olympic Games. Before him, only the legendary Matti Nykaenen, who won both competitions in 1988 in Calgary, did.
On the podium in Salt Lake City, Ammann appeared in his signature glasses, which closely resemble the young Daniel Radcliffe, actor who plays Harry Potter. No wonder he was swiftly dubbed the “Harry Potter of the Jumps”. And it will be forever.
It was the start of Ammann’s great career. However, after the triumph, the Swiss have not yet felt an increase in popularity. At least in Salt Lake City itself, as evidenced by his coach’s recollection of the first moments after the second gold. – After all the checks, interviews and duties, we went down the hill to the village, but we knew it would be best to stop at something to eat on the way. We stood at McDonald’s and talked. We had a lot of fun with the people who came there. They didn’t so much know Simon as they were fascinated by him, but they didn’t know he was standing next to them. The hero of the skies, who won two gold medals, was talking. And Simon Ammann is standing next to him, just nodding his head. Asks: “Yes, it must be cool, huh?” Schoedler replied
Yes, it has to be. “Harry Potter” of ski jumping at the Olympics in America presented his magic on the hill in 2010. This time not in the USA, but in Vancouver, Canada, when he dominated the competition again and won two more gold medals in individual competitions.
Today Ammann is 41 years old and is still an active jumper – obviously taking part in the Beijing Olympics. In China, nobody counts on his spells anymore, but this evening from a normal hill in Salt Lake City, those excellent jumps that allowed both Maysz and Hannawald to be beaten, every fan of jumping remembers. Even if it’s been 20 years from them.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
