Ski jumping: better summer preparation for Simon Ammann
Just a few weeks ago, Simon Ammann was still not certain of starting the winter on the ski jumping World Cup, but he has managed to turn things around and has finally secured his ticket for the Lillehammer (Norway) stage scheduled for this weekend.
So it is with great enthusiasm and after a preparation that went better than the previous one that the Swiss will begin his 28th season in the elite. “Last year, a lot of things were new, especially with the arrival of new coaches. I lost a lot of time and fell behind in my training planning,” he tells Swiss Ski. This year, although I didn’t take part in the first summer Grand Prix, I made sure that I was training in good conditions.

Delighted to have become more efficient at combining his sport with his studies at the University of St Gallen (Switzerland), the 43-year-old jumper has even made a change of ski to give himself the best chance of success. Relegated to the B team, he has no regrets about having spent the summer with this group.
“I’ve been able to work steadily on my progress. Working with Marvin Scherrer, my continental cup coach, has enabled me to improve on the most important points. We also took part in the Trondheim stage together, in preparation for the 2025 Worlds,” he explains. At the Swiss championships, I finished in the top four, and at the summer Grands Prix, I was sometimes among the top three Swiss riders. The challenge remains complicated, but I’m feeling a positive trend in terms of results.

And while he surpassed the 500 jumps mark in competition during the summer – something only Noriaki Kasai has already achieved – Simon Ammann is still hoping to take part in the world championships in Trondheim (Norway) scheduled for next February. However, the native of Grabs (Switzerland) does not yet see himself at the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina (Italy), scheduled for 2026.
“I’m now in the final phase of my career. The projects, like changing skis, absolutely have to be positive for me to be able to jump satisfactorily,” he admits. This stage now comes first, I see things very pragmatically. Only then will we see what options are open to me in the spring.
A post-career still unclear
Also asked about his post-career future, the four-time Olympic champion admitted that he hadn’t really thought about it yet. “For the moment, I don’t have any plans. I think I’ll have to take some time away from ski jumping after my career,” he admits. At the moment, I’m concentrating on finishing my studies and on my ski jumping career. As for the future, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

As for the future of his sport, the St. Gallen native hopes to see summer competitions take on a different dimension in international events in the years to come. “I would welcome the introduction of a year-round World Cup ranking. Winter is extremely busy, but the whole calendar should be separated and organised over the year,” he says. The summer Grands Prix would then be considered as World Cup stages. That would give the athletes more breathing space. At the moment, the programme is stretched to the limit and we have to be careful not to go overboard with competitions during the winter.
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