Simon Ammann leaps into history with fourth Olympic ski jumping gold

Ski Jumping Vancouver 2010 Post a comment

Posted: Saturday 20th February 2010 | 22:28

SWITZERLAND'S Simon Ammann has captured an unprecedented Olympic double - adding large hill gold to normal hill victory - just as he did in Salt Lake City eight years ago.

MAKING HISTORY: Simon Ammann leaps into the record books in Vancouver with his fourth Olympic gold medal (Getty Images)

The 28-year-old, competing in his fourth Olympics, has in been untouchable form in Vancouver and soared to jumps of 144m and 138m for a total of 283.6 points to seal a commanding victory at Whistler Olympic Park.

Ammann took normal hill gold a week ago with an equally emphatic performance and warned his rivals - including four formidable Austria jumpers - he was in the form of his life.

And he wasn't lying. Ammann's ski jumping tactics are simple - jump a lot further than the rest of the field and gold is assured.

In round one he leapt to 144m, a full seven metres further than his nearest rival but in terms of style marks he ranked 23rd.

And round two was no different. He soared to 138m to become the first ski jumper in history to claim four Olympic gold medals.

"What can I say?" said the Swiss. "I was so nervous up there. This is all very nerve-wracking.

"But I feel like I always have this magical force to jump far here and that is amazing. This is truly amazing."

Second was Adam Malysz of Poland who produced 137m and 133.5m, good enough for 269.4 points and his third Olympic silver medal.

And the Flying Moustache, as he is fondly known, admitted his results in Vancouver were the product of hard training over the summer.

"It is unbelievable," said Malysz. "It is like a dream, I am very, very satisfied.

"I trained hard all summer and this was my goal - this has been my best Olympics ever.

"I really fought for this medal - it has been a dream of mine and now I'm really looking forward to the team event. Hopefully I can win another medal there."

And third was Austria's Gregor Schlilerenzauer, who repeated the trick of his normal hill bronze with jumps of 130.5m and 136m for a combined total of 262.2 as the normal hill podium was mirrored.

Ammann's superiority in terms of distance is unquestionable but it has not gone down well among the strong Austrian contingent in Vancouver and they lodged an official complaint over the boot bindings used by the Swiss - their fierce rivals.

The Swiss are using a curved iron binding instead of an elastic one, helping jumpers to stand closer to parallel with their skis in the air, thereby boosting their aerodynamics.

The appeal was rejected by the International Ski Federation but the bad blood has lingered in Vancouver, ensuring Monday's team competition will carry extra significance.

But Malysz was adamant worrying about his rival's bindings was only going to have a negative effect on his performance in Vancouver.

"The Austrians were asking about the bindings, not me." said Malysz. "I just concentrate on jumping here and maybe that is why I have done so well.

"Maybe there is something with his bindings but at the time of competition one should focus on that, not on any other details."