The legend lives on after Swiss
ski-jump superstar Simon Ammann won gold in the
normal hill on Saturday to clinch the first precious
metal of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
"This is my third Olympic gold medal, it's
insane. I have no words for this, it's crazy,"
said the 28-year-old, who pulled of a golden double
at the Salt Lake Games eight years ago to earn the
nickname Harry Potter, the young wizard he resembles.
"It's an incredible day. Here I am eight years
on, bringing such concentrated energy and strength
and the experience gained from my career to the
hill once again.
"I just knew I could do it if I was calm and
relaxed - which I was."
Ammann flopped in Turin four years ago but this
time there was no stopping him as he crushed the
competition, leaving Adam Malysz of Poland to claim
silver and Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer the bronze.
Ammann served notice he meant business with a first
round effort of 105 metres at the Whistler Olympic
Park and then followed up with a mammoth 108m to
total 276.5 points and leave his fellow podium finishers
trailing in his wake.
Malysz jumped impressively too -- 105.5m and 105m
for a total of 269.5 points -- while Schlierenzauer
produced leaps of 101.5m and 106.5m, the latter
effort putting some pressure on Ammann.
Called on to pull out something special, the Swiss
promptly obliged with his second leap pulverizing
Malysz's hopes that he would improve on the silver
he won eight years ago on the large hill at Salt
Lake.
"Eight years ago it was easier for me, I was
new. This time, I was up there as the last jumper.
I knew I had to concentrate hard as I knew I had
to jump far.
"Now I want to cherish the moment. I have had
great fortune in my career so I am delighted,"
said Ammann, who arrived in Canada buoyed by five
World Cup wins this season to top the overall standings.
Malysz said he was proud of his silver, which made
him the first Pole to win three Winter Games medals,
even though none were gold.
"It was a very tough competition and I was
up against it. But I'm happy with my showing,"
he said.
Finnish veteran Janne Ahonen was visibly disappointed
having come out of retirement in the hope he could
emulate countryman Jani Soininen, who took gold
at Nagano 12 years ago.
But jumps of 102m and 104m proved insufficient as
he totalled 263 points, ahead of fifth-placed Michael
Uhrmann of Germany.
Two Slovenians brought up the rear -- Robert Kranjec,
with Peter Prevc, only 17 years old, finishing an
impressive seventh.
Schlierenzauer, with 32 World Cup successes already,
said he was happy to land bronze at his first Oympics.
"My dreams are coming true already - and I
hope there will be more as the Games go on. A medal
is a medal - it's really cool."
Thomas Morgenstern of Austria, large hill champion
four years ago, failed to reproduce that form but
said: "Ammann is a worthy winner. And I am
an Olympic champion - you can't take that away from
me."
