Born on 25 June 1981 in Grabs in the canton of St. Gallen, Simon Ammann, or “Simi” as he is affectionately known, took to the sport of ski jumping from a very early age. He made his debut at the World Cup in 1998 when he was only 16, and participated in his first Olympics in Nagano the same year.

After several years competing without much success, Ammann took everyone by surprise during the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where he jumped further than his competitors to win gold in both the individual large hill and individual normal hill events. Thanks to this amazing sporting achievement coupled with his boyish appearance and exuberant personality, the young man from Eastern Switzerland soon became a media darling, winning him countless fans both at home and abroad.

His winning streak continued one month later, when he took his first World Cup title at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo. However, Ammann saw his form nosedive the following season, experiencing a new career nadir that culminated in his bitter defeat at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Yet, he would make a triumphant return to the sport at the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo, taking gold in the large hill event and silver in the normal hill.

Soaring into the history books

Simon Ammann added to his medal haul with several World Cup wins and bronze at the 2009 Nordic World Ski Championship in Liberec. He would finally earn a place in the pantheon of ski-jumping legends during the 2010 Olympic Games in Whistler, Canada, when he won two gold medals, repeating his double win in Salt Lake City eight years earlier. Rounding off this momentous season in style, Ammann was crowned World Champion in Planica (Slovenia), the only Swiss ski jumper to hold this prestigious title.

Awards

• 2010: Named Swiss Sportsperson of the Year.