Simon Ehammer draws additional motivation from his 4th place in the long jump at the Olympic Games. At the Athletissima in Lausanne, he has the chance for revenge.
22.08.2024, 05:00
22.08.2024, 06:54
SDA
"I was able to look at it objectively quite quickly and be very satisfied with the performance," Ehammer replied when asked how long it had taken him to digest his 4th place in the long jump in Paris. "We could certainly have done a few things differently. But it was the first Olympic Games for me and the coaching team. We can now learn from the experience."
His goal is clear. The 24-year-old from Appenzell no longer wants to be left out of the medal ceremony at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. That's why he now wants to analyze exactly why, apart from winning the heptathlon title at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow last March, he "never quite got to the point. I can certainly blame myself for that".
Ehammer already has an explanation. He was more relaxed in Glasgow, as he saw the competition as a "pure encore" after his shoulder operation in September and the subsequent rehab. "I have to try to stay relaxed throughout," said Ehammer in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
In a luxury situation
Ehammer has been more consistent in the long jump this year than ever before; he has surpassed the 8-meter mark in all competitions so far. Wouldn't it be an option to focus solely on this discipline and skip the all-around competition? "That's certainly something I'll have to deal with. We'll have talks at the end of the season about what to do next. I'm in the luxury situation of being able to choose between three disciplines."
Ehammer is also one of the world's best in the 110 m hurdles with his best time of 13.38 seconds. This time would have been enough for bronze at the European Championships in Rome. And this despite the fact that he only trains hurdles once a week. "So there's certainly still a lot possible," says Ehammer. So it would certainly be an option for him to "only" focus on the long jump and 110 m hurdles. But not in the near future. "I'm sure I'll stick with the decathlon for another year or two. I have to reach at least 8500 points (his Swiss record is 8468). Then we'll see what happens." However, Ehammer emphasizes that the last few years with the focus on the decathlon and long jump "have worked really well".
No more having to
First of all, however, he now wants to break the 8-meter mark for the first time at the Athletissima, where all the medal winners from Paris are entered in the long jump. However, a bruised heel is bothering him. This is another reason why he will be jumping with a different shoe in Lausanne, but not only: "I want to try something. That's possible after the Olympic Games." After the Games in Paris, a certain amount of tension has been released. He no longer has to do anything, but can simply enjoy it. "My form is still extremely good. So there could well be something cool."
