Ski jumper Simon Ammann 24/25 ahead of winter: “Feeling the positive trends”

Simon Oman will travel to Lillehammer this weekend for the opening match of the World Cup. The 43-year-old from Toggenburg was given a starting spot not as a thank you for his services, but after passing an internal qualifying round.

The Swiss ski jumping scene now spans three generations: Simon Ammann is already older than veterans Gregor Deschwanden (33) and Killian Peier (29) ) owned for ten years or more. The duo, in turn, join the World Cup squad at a different time than the roughly five-man U20 group who are now also looking to establish themselves at the highest level and, along with 18-year-old Felix Terenz , a player with Switzerland has captured four World Cup starting spots at the beginning of the season.

Simon Ammann stood in the departure lounge at Zurich Airport on Monday afternoon, checking in for his flight to the north. The four-time Olympic champion was only occasionally recognized by passers-by, although television cameras suggested it must be a celebrity standing there.

Target the top 10

Toggenberg remains proud that he can still be interviewed. He only entered the World Cup squad thanks to results at the Swiss Championships in early September and the Summer Grand Prix.

“I'm not where I was in 2010 anymore,” the once world's best ski jumper said when asked about his potential. “But when I first started, I was as competitive as ever.”

Amman hopes to be in the standings (top 30) again on a regular basis and even eventually into the top 10. Last winter started well, with five top 30 spots by the end of the year, but not much after that. But Oman still sees top-level sport as one among many, and he's not giving up.

Oman will now be punished even more harshly than before for his poor landing.Image: trapezoid

The inventor was ecstatic

“I sense a positive trend,” Toggenberg said. He noticed that changes in materials were bearing fruit. Last summer it was time to switch skis from Fischer to Slatnar. Inventor Amman always knows how to adapt to new environments, and he is once again popular with people, both in the past and now. “I’ve made the most of the last few weeks,” he enthuses, before going on to talk about the curvature of the ski tips, ease of flight and ideal landing angles.

The ski jumping fire continues to burn in Amman. Not even many other promises can take away this. Especially studying business administration at HSG St.Gallen is very demanding. “I enjoy it more when I can focus on the ski jumps and be challenged in a variety of coordinated ways.” Overall, this summer was better than last year, “there was more flow and I was able to put the package together better.”

Even Simon Ammann now talks about “the final phase of my career”. Will she take him to the Olympics for an eighth time? Even with the best will in the world, Tottenberger couldn't answer that question and the questions he's been hearing about resigning for more than a decade. Whether this performance will be enough to open the door to the Olympics again compared to the past remains to be seen.

Amman takes a pragmatic approach to the whole thing and wants to take it one step at a time. The weeks leading up to the World Cup in Engelberg should be groundbreaking. He has already qualified for the World Cup ahead of the pre-Christmas games. If he loses his starting spot in the team, things will be difficult.

To make matters worse, FIS has introduced a new assessment system that appears to put Amman at a disadvantage. Parallel landings are punished more severely than shock landings – three points instead of two. A counter that determines whether the midfielder or the bottom player will participate in the finals. Even at his best, Ammann was not a stylist.

Over the next few weeks, Oman's journey will take him to Lillehammer (where he loves the snow tracks on his approach), to Ruka in the Arctic Circle (where he celebrated his last two World Cup victories a decade ago) , Wisla in Poland (he didn't like the jump), Titisee-Neustadt in the Black Forest (usually suitable) and Engelberg (he was worried about the tailwind there). At the start of the season, it was still uncertain where the Toggenburg ski jumper would be headed. “The starting position is challenging,” Simon Amann said. (Random Access Memory/SDA)

The Swiss team unfortunately lost to the European champion Spain at the last minute. Compared with previous games, the national team's performance this time was definitely good.

Relegation to the top tier of the Nations League has been confirmed, with the game against European champions Spain becoming a proving ground for national team coach Murat Yakin. Many future promises were fulfilled – and they were done quite successfully. The weakest man on the court is one of the most mature players on the Yakin team.