One giant leap for Ammann
Ski jumping hero Simon Ammann has made history once again, by becoming the first Swiss athlete to leap more than 200 metres.
The 20-year-old double Olympic champion easily surpassed the magical 200-metre mark during Thursday’s training session for the World Cup ski flying event in Planica, recording an incredible jump of 218 metres.
“I felt straight away that I had reached a mega height, that I was going mega far and that it was all going to be mega smooth for my landing,” said a clearly excited Ammann after his historic flight.
The jump, which beat the former Swiss record of Andreas Küttel by more than 20 metres, was only Ammann’s fourth ever in the ski flying discipline.
As well as being the longest distance recorded by a Swiss ski-jumper, Ammann’s 218-metre leap is the ninth longest in history. The world’s longest jump to date is the massive 225-metre flight recorded by Austria’s Andreas Goldberger in March 2000.
swissinfo with agencies
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