The answer came like a shot when Blick approached Anze Lanisek about Simon Ammann. “He’s a legend,” says the Slovenian top jumper – and then pauses for a long time. At some point, he finally got the year together. “It was 2002 when he became a two-time Olympic champion for the first time,” he says with a smile. The current third in the overall World Cup was just under six years old. Just like Halvor Egner Granerud, who is the same age and was the best so far this winter, and also turned out to be a real Simi fan: “When I was growing up in Norway, he was the big star of the scene. And now we’re on tour together, which I honestly think is pretty cool.”
The appreciation that the ski jumping world has for Ammann is still enormous. It doesn’t matter that the 41-year-old from Toggenburg is no longer fighting for top results. His last World Cup podium was more than five years ago, in January 2018 (third place in Bad Mitterndorf). Still, everyone in the finish area wants to have a chat with the four-time Olympic champion. TV channels from all over the world compete for a few minutes live with the old master.
Also at the World Championships in Planica (Sln), Ammann marvels at his patience as he analyzes his performance in detail for the umpteenth time in the long interview zone, not omitting any technical detail – and then goes back to the crucial question. It says, “How long will you continue, Mr. Ammann?” The answer is always accompanied by a shrug. The jack-of-all-trades who somehow unites family, sports, university and building a house does not know it himself. After his 28th place on the small hill in Planica, he says, “I’ll probably never retire.”
“Then I’ll Remember”
When he thinks about his sporting future, he gets philosophical and says the phrase, “I’ll probably be stopped someday.” Means: either of his body. Or then from the association, which no longer exclaims: “I’ll notice when the time comes.”
Ammann still enjoys flying too much to really think about quitting. Especially at the World Cup, because after a slow, almost hopeless start to the season – after a summer break without training – he has found an appealing form again. Now he wants to attack again on the big hill on Friday.
Lanisek is surprised and happy at the same time: “I am happy for him that he can still muster so much energy and motivation. I know he had a difficult preparation, but now he is showing very good jumps again.”
In fact, in qualifying on the normal hill, Ammann was again one of the best jumpers from his backlog. “Incredible,” says teammate Killian Peier. “So why resign?” asks Granerud with a smile, who also hopes to see Ammann on the tour for a long time, “because I can joke with him.”
“Age is just a number”
Poland’s Dawid Kubacki, runner-up in the overall World Cup and five-time winner of the season, also understands Ammann’s passion: “He just loves this sport. Age is just a number. He’s a free man, he has the right to jump forever.”
Moreover, Kubacki points out that a dismissal in this case really means a hard blow in the life of a ski jumper. Simply going up a mountain is then no longer possible – so the feeling of flying should be cherished as long as possible: “I am also a ski jumper who is not so young anymore (32, d. red). And right now I can’t imagine just cornering my skis and not touching them again. Actually, ski jumping is my whole life. I think it’s the same with Simon.” That should sum up Kubacki in a nutshell.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
