The Swiss track and field aces kicked off the season with three Swiss records - and one near-record. Nevertheless, the trio of Ehammer, Imsand and Audrey Werro still have untapped potential.
02.06.2025, 06:00
02.06.2025, 07:32
SDA
Ehammer has been a world-class athlete for three years now. The 25-year-old is a passionate all-around athlete, although he has achieved more prestigious results in the long jump - such as bronze at the 2022 World Championships or victory at the 2023 Diamond League final.
In Götzis, he took a good step forward with 8575 (previously 8468). In the problem disciplines, the throws and the 1500 m run, the discus in particular is now working better. But the man from Appenzell remains a man of extremes: 1149 points in the long jump, 631 points in the 1500 m run. He tends to be an indoor heptathlete (without javelin and discus and 1000 m instead of 1500 m) and an outdoor long jumper.
Nevertheless, Götzis' performance deserves recognition: you don't beat people like the German Leo Neugebauer or the Canadian Damian Warner just like that. And there is still potential in Ehammer that lies far above 8575 points. If he has two perfect days, he will jump the next 100-point steps.
Ehammer starts next Friday in Rome in the long jump. Before the World Championships in Tokyo, however, he wants to compete in another decathlon, possibly in Talence at the end of June. At the World Championships in Tokyo, a double long jump/decathlon start is then planned.
Strain prevents record
The counterpart to Ehammer is Annik Kälin. The Grisons native is more stable and balanced than the Appenzeller. The 25-year-old would have bettered her record from Paris 2024 in Götzis had she not been stopped by groin problems in the javelin throw. Further medical examinations will be carried out in the coming days. Despite complaints in the high jump and javelin throw, where she already felt a pulling sensation in her groin area, there are no signs of a more serious injury.
Annik Kälin also wants to attempt the long jump/heptathlon double in Tokyo. Her season plan is to concentrate on the long jump and only compete in a multi-discipline event again in Japan.
Two birds with one stone
Pole vaulter Valentin Imsand jumped 5.82 m at the home meeting in Sion, improving the Swiss outdoor record set by Felix Böhni and Dominik Alberto by 11 cm. The 20-year-old killed two birds with one stone. A week and a half ago, he told a media conference in Bern: "I want the Swiss record, but that's not enough to compete with the world elite. I need 10 cm more."
The man from Valais, who trains with Nicole Büchler in Magglingen, has achieved precisely this interim goal. He will be allowed to compete at the World Championships in Tokyo in mid-September thanks to having fulfilled his limit and will no longer have to worry about whether he will be allowed to slip through the World Ranking. With the U23 European Championships in Bergen in July, he now has two highlights of the season.
Another junior medal is on the cards
Norway and Japan are also on the agenda for Audrey Werro. The athlete from Fribourg has already impressed with strong performances at the European and World Indoor Championships in March and is now looking to build on her indoor performances outdoors. At the meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland, she lowered her Swiss record in the 800 m to 1:57.25 minutes.
"I want to win another medal at the U23 World Championships, it's the last time I can compete in a junior category," says the U20 European champion (2021, 2023) and World Championship silver medallist (2022). The 21-year-old has coped well with the setback from the 2024 season. Due to a thigh injury, she decided not to take part in the European Championships in Rome in June so as not to jeopardize her start at the Olympic Games. Although she competed in Paris, she was not yet in top form. She only set the Swiss record, which she has now improved by half a second, at the end of the season in Bellinzona.
