Simon Ammann is competing in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver in ski jumping for Switzerland.
Ammann entered the 2002 Salt Lake Games having never won a world championship medal or a World Cup event. But the Harry Potter look-alike stunned the ski jumping world by winning gold on the normal hill and large hill, becoming just the second ski jumper in history to win two individual gold medals at a single Games (Finland's Matti Nykaenen was the first to accomplish the feat in 1988). In both events, Ammann secured the victory on his final jump. And after his first gold medal, he gave an unforgettable interview with NBC's Len Berman, during which an overjoyed Ammann could barely complete a sentence in between his screams of joy.
In addition to his winning two gold medals, a bespectacled Ammann drew comparisons to Harry Potter, and his success, charisma and resemblance to the fictional wizard made the Swiss jumper an instant celebrity. While still in the U.S., Ammann appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. And upon returning to his hometown of Unterwasser, a town of 1,000 located in the Swiss Alps, Ammann was greeted by hordes of fans, and the subsequent deluge of media requests forced him to hire an agent. He also toured the talk show circuit in Switzerland, most notably appearing on Wetten, dass, a German program that bills itself as "Europe's biggest TV show." Also appearing on the same episode as Ammann were Shakira, Dustin Hoffman, Enrique Iglesias, Gerard Depardieu and Lenny Kravitz. Ammann sat next to Shakira and greeted her by kissing her on the cheek, which he says made his friends more jealous than his Olympic gold medals.
Though he found fame in Salt Lake City, the 2002 Games also marked the beginning of a long slump for Ammann, who went nearly five years without winning a World Cup event between early 2002 and late 2006. And at the 2006 Torino Games, he placed just 38th and 15th in the normal hill event and large hill event, respectively. However, Ammann has since returned to medal contending form, winning gold on the large hill and silver on the normal hill at the 2007 World Championships and taking bronze on the normal hill at the 2009 World Championships. He also finished a career-best second in the 2008-09 overall World Cup standings.
Ammann started ski jumping at age 11 on a 30-meter hill in Wildhaus, which is close to his hometown of Unterwasser, Switzerland, where he grew up on a farm. Translated into English, Unterwasser means "underwater." Ammann says that age 11 is somewhat late to start ski jumping, and admits that he wasn't a very proficient jumper when he first started out. He recalls not having much power in his legs initially, but says that he has always been technically sound. Ammann is the third-oldest of five children.
Ammann entered the 2002 Salt Lake Games having never won a world championship medal or a World Cup event. But the Harry Potter look-alike stunned the ski jumping world by winning gold on the normal hill and large hill, becoming just the second ski jumper in history to win two individual gold medals at a single Games (Finland's Matti Nykaenen was the first to accomplish the feat in 1988). In both events, Ammann secured the victory on his final jump. And after his first gold medal, he gave an unforgettable interview with NBC's Len Berman, during which an overjoyed Ammann could barely complete a sentence in between his screams of joy.
In addition to his winning two gold medals, a bespectacled Ammann drew comparisons to Harry Potter, and his success, charisma and resemblance to the fictional wizard made the Swiss jumper an instant celebrity. While still in the U.S., Ammann appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. And upon returning to his hometown of Unterwasser, a town of 1,000 located in the Swiss Alps, Ammann was greeted by hordes of fans, and the subsequent deluge of media requests forced him to hire an agent. He also toured the talk show circuit in Switzerland, most notably appearing on Wetten, dass, a German program that bills itself as "Europe's biggest TV show." Also appearing on the same episode as Ammann were Shakira, Dustin Hoffman, Enrique Iglesias, Gerard Depardieu and Lenny Kravitz. Ammann sat next to Shakira and greeted her by kissing her on the cheek, which he says made his friends more jealous than his Olympic gold medals.
Though he found fame in Salt Lake City, the 2002 Games also marked the beginning of a long slump for Ammann, who went nearly five years without winning a World Cup event between early 2002 and late 2006. And at the 2006 Torino Games, he placed just 38th and 15th in the normal hill event and large hill event, respectively. However, Ammann has since returned to medal contending form, winning gold on the large hill and silver on the normal hill at the 2007 World Championships and taking bronze on the normal hill at the 2009 World Championships. He also finished a career-best second in the 2008-09 overall World Cup standings.
Ammann started ski jumping at age 11 on a 30-meter hill in Wildhaus, which is close to his hometown of Unterwasser, Switzerland, where he grew up on a farm. Translated into English, Unterwasser means "underwater." Ammann says that age 11 is somewhat late to start ski jumping, and admits that he wasn't a very proficient jumper when he first started out. He recalls not having much power in his legs initially, but says that he has always been technically sound. Ammann is the third-oldest of five children.
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