What a demonstration of power!
Other athletes would love to hide away if their Olympic dream is over because of an injury. Simon Ehammer from Appenzell doesn’t do that. Although there is no Olympic decathlon for him in Tokyo – an inflammation of the pubic bone made the hunt for the limits impossible – he shows what he can do as a long jumper at the U23 European Championships in Estonia.
Ehammer makes the final on early Friday evening his show. The first attempt he lands in the 8-meter area, but has overstepped a touch when he jumped. He corrects that in the second attempt: 7.92 m – the competition is as good as won. Ehammer really got his opponents wet.
Because shortly after the long sentence of the Swiss, the rain comes. It’s getting dangerous. Two competitors are injured after they slip away on the slippery take-off board.
Ice cold hammer
So: shift down a gear, Simon – don’t risk anything! Think! Ehammer does his thing ice cold – 7.74, 7.83 m. Then it crashes: In the 5th attempt, he flies to 8.10 m. Five centimeters are missing from his personal best from last year. And at the end, when he has been determined as the winner, the unleashed Ehammer still adds 8.03 m.
If that is not a good omen for the Swiss delegation for the further course of this U23 European Championship. There should be more Swiss medals on Saturday. With 45.72 seconds, Ricky Petrucciani is the fastest of all semi-finalists over 400 m on Friday.
400 m hurdler Yasmin Giger imitated him in the leader position with 55.99 seconds in the semifinals. And with 20.81 seconds in the 200 m lead, William Reais also sets a mark that no other sprinter can match.