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Simply Simon: Swiss ski jumper stuns favorites
By Jason Swensen
Deseret News Olympic specialist
UTAH OLYMPIC PARK — Simon Ammann should hire a Park City contractor, gather his savings and build a big home right at the bottom of Utah's ski jumps. The Utah Olympic Park has become the Swiss jumper's xanadu.
Ammann came to the 2002 Winter Games sans fanfare or a single World Cup ski jumping victory. He's since become one of the biggest Olympic stories this side of a couple of Canadian figure skaters.
Ammann collected his second gold medal of the Games on Wednesday after landing a pair of monster jumps during the K120 ski jumping final. He first stunned ski jumping fans by winning Sunday's K90 event, giving him an unexpected sweep of the individual ski jumping competitions.
"This is really a crazy day for me — a crazy week," said Ammann, adding he did not expect an encore atop the medal podium
Ammann dominated both K120 rounds Wednesday with jumps of 132.5 and 133 meters. Poland's Adam Malysz, the defending World Cup champ who was expected to leave Salt Lake City with at least a sliver of gold, had to again settle for a subordinate spot on the Olympic podium. Malysz — who won a bronze medal Sunday — took the K120 silver with jumps of 131 and 128 meters. Matti Hautamaeki of Finland recorded leaps of 127 and 125.5 meters to secure the K120 bronze.
"I am extremely happy with my silver medal performance," said Malysz, his country's national hero. "Ammann performed perfectly in winning the gold medal. My first jump was not excellent. I took off too late. My second (jump) was very good. Overall, I am very satisfied with the silver medal."
Before the Games began, the K120 event was expected to be an Ali/Frazier-like dual between Malysz and Germany's Sven Hannawald, two athletes who have dominated their sport over the past year. But Ammann's Olympic sweep demonstrated the sport's streaky nature: Win one competition and you'll likely win the next.
Switzerland may have celebrated their local hero after Ammann's surprise victory Sunday, but the affable jumper said he remained focused on the K120 battle. Ammann knew he was successful while still midflight in his second jump.
"I never had such an excellent jump in a major competition," he said.
The same could not be said for American Alan Alborn, who did not make it past the first round Sunday after a mediocre jump of 115.5 meters.
Olympic ski jumping concludes Monday with the K120 team competition.
E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com
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February 14, 2002
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