All-rounder Simon Ehammer keeps jumping

Simon Ehammer is one of the world leaders in the long jump, but he still relies on the decathlon. About a young athlete driven by diversity in athletics.

Swiss record and unofficial world record for all-around athletes: Simon Ehammer jumps 8.30 meters at the meeting in Ratingen.

Kai Peters / Imago

When Simon Ehammer cheers, the entire field knows that the Swiss is happy with his performance. Ehammer’s jubilation has been heard many times this season. In March, the Appenzeller won silver at the World Championships in the indoor all-around in Belgrade; it was the first medal he won among the active. The next highlight followed just a few weeks later in the German city of Ratingen: Ehammer set Swiss records in the long jump and in the decathlon. After the jump to 8.30 meters, he ran jubilantly across the track, his hands clenched in triumph – the 8.30 meters is a decathlon world record in the long jump.

Remarkable at the weekend in Ratingen: It was Ehammer’s first complete decathlon since August 2020. Last year he had to accept setbacks for the first time in his young career. He was unable to complete several competitions, failed in the pole vault, in the long jump, and in the end an untimely injury made it impossible to take part in the Olympic Games. But the renunciation of Tokyo for the sake of the body has paid off. Ehammer seems stronger than ever. He is currently seventh in the world rankings in the decathlon and number 3 in the long jump.

After his success at the World Indoor Championships, Ehammer had to give up his job as a retail specialist earlier than planned – being an athlete now finally requires his full attention. In addition to the 25 hours of training per week, everyday life increasingly consists of appointments with media representatives and sponsors. At 22, Ehammer is officially a full-time athlete.

One competition, two limits

Unlike other professional athletes, Ehammer does not train in a large academy, but in his home club, TV Teufen. The brothers René and Karl Wyler plan and carry out the training. A decathlete’s training schedule is varied and extensive; It is important to train ten different disciplines regularly, to set priorities in the weaker disciplines without losing the routine in the stronger ones. “It’s also the small, fine work that is important,” says coach René Wyler. “It’s important not to forget the basics, which is why we also attach great importance to trunk training or foot stabilization.”

The focus in training is currently on the throwing disciplines. Because the World Indoor Championships only took place at the end of March and neither javelin nor discus are among the indoor disciplines, they were neglected in the preparation. The time pressure during the preparation for the summer season is not noticeable in Ehammer’s results. In Ratingen he scored an outstanding 8354 points. He thus confirmed the good 8000m results from 2020, improved the Swiss record from 1988 and most importantly: He undercut the limits for the European Championships in Munich and the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon – in the long jump and in the decathlon.

Specialization would be too boring for Ehammer

All-around athletes train the individual disciplines less specifically than the specialists, but they like it when they can still compete with them. It’s twice as much fun for Ehammer, with his results he’s one of the world’s best in the long jump. A jump of 8.30 meters like in Ratingen would have given him a medal at the 2021 Olympic Games. “The fact that the long jump is going so well is cool and gives me a boost. It also shows that we did a lot of things right,” says Ehammer.

World leaders in the long jump, but “only” extended world leaders in the decathlon – why doesn’t Simon Ehammer specialize in the long jump? “I’m a multi-fighter,” replies Ehammer succinctly. The trainer René Wyler says: «Simon lives for the all-around. Training just one discipline would probably be too boring for him.” The big goal is and remains an Olympic medal in the decathlon, if you add one in the long jump, so much the better.

The training in July for the World Cup will be a bit more long jump-heavy than usual. In concrete terms, this means: long jump exercises once a week. Before that, Ehammer takes part in two Diamond League meetings in Rabat and Oslo, they also count towards the preparation for the World Cup. The Diamond League meetings are very lucrative because of the entry and prize money, they also help with the search for sponsors.

W for long jump and world championship medal

Participation in the Diamond League meetings also means that Ehammer’s calendar is packed, very busy, until the European Championships in Munich in August. “That worries me, I wish I had more rest and training phases,” says Wyler. Ehammer has also turned down further invitations at the insistence of the coach. Otherwise too many compromises would have had to be made in the planning for Munich. So the question again: decathlon at the European Championships or focus on the long jump? Ehammer’s priority remains the decathlon.

The goal at the World Championships in Eugene is nevertheless a medal in the long jump. Ehammer had already won gold in the specialists at the U-23 World Championships in Tallinn last year. He deliberately refrains from participating in the World Championships in the decathlon, otherwise there would not be enough time for regeneration between the World Championships and the European Championships. Germany is traditionally considered a multi-fighting nation, and the EM venue in Munich was one of the reasons for Ehammer to skip the World Cup stage. He promises: “I’ll attack next year at the World Championships.”

The last decathlon before the European Championships in August will take place in Götzis at the weekend. In Vorarlberg, not far from the Swiss border, Ehammer wants to confirm or even improve on the results from Ratingen. After all, there is only one direction for Ehammer: higher and further.


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