Decathletes do not take the World Indoor Championships lightly: Ehammer already wants his first medal

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In another year, the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow (Scho) would be a highlight of the calendar for all track and field athletes. However, this year the indoor competitions will be canceled due to the Olympic Games in Paris in July. For example, the Kambundji sisters skip the World Cup. The sprinters now prefer to concentrate on the Olympic Games. Things look completely different for decathlete Simon Ehammer (24). He’s looking forward to the World Cup. “If I had to wait until the outdoor season to compete, I would probably be bursting with energy,” he says shortly before leaving for Scotland.

Not to misunderstand him: like every top athlete in the world, his focus is already on the Olympic Games. But Ehammer needs milestones. “If I didn’t have to be ready until August, I would probably let it slide too fast,” he says self-critically. “I could quickly say: yes, if it doesn’t work out, I still have time.” For Ehammer, balanced seasonal planning is half the battle.

The shoulder works again

The indoor championships come just in time for him. “It will become clear what I did well during the winter build-up.” Due to his shoulder problems and the resulting surgery last fall, his preparation was “a little different than normal.” The rehabilitation took three months, so he has a lot of catching up to do. He gained confidence at the Swiss Championships in mid-February. “I know we have made up much of the training gap and performance since the operation is better than ever.”

Ehammer feels correspondingly good for the World Cup. “The looseness and playfulness is back and that gives me a lot of self-confidence.” He travels to the World Cup in Scotland with a clear goal: “I want a medal,” he says confidently and also explains why this goal is quite realistic. Two years ago, at the last World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, only the Canadian Olympic champion Damian Warner stood in front of him in the sun. Ehammer remembers: “I knew then: you really have to have a damn good day to get past Warner.”

A medal is celebrated in the pub

This year, however, Warner is dropping out, which means that Ehammer is one of the three strongest athletes in the field in terms of points. “Compared to the Swiss championships in mid-February, there will certainly be a few more points,” and then the Appenzeller is sure that “it will be very difficult to get past me.”

If there really is bullion in Glasgow, Simon Ehammer already knows how he wants to celebrate it. “My coach, Karl Wyler, has already said that he wants to go to a very good Scottish pub,” says the long jump specialist with a grin. But he emphasizes that he must perform first. With the self-confidence that Simon Ehammer exudes prior to the competitions, this is absolutely possible in the heptathlon this weekend.

Source : Blick