First Gold Medal Is Awarded in Vancouver

By Brandon Penny — 02/13/10
The Harry-Potter lookalike from 2002 is back. And he has won the first gold medal of these Olympics.
Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann competed this morning in the individual normal hill event. Ammann was in the lead after the first round when he jumped 105m. He secured the gold medal when he had the furthest jump of the day at 108m in the final jump. Poland’s Adam Malysz came away with the silver, and Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer got the bronze.
Today’s win makes Simon Ammann the first man in Olympic history to win two gold medals on the individual normal hill event.
Ammann’s claim to fame came in 2002, when he won gold medals in both the individual normal and large hill events. He is only the second man in history to sweep both events. He earned nicknames such as “Harry Potter” and “Swiss sensation.” Ammann had never won an international competition before the Salt Lake City Games. In the 2006 Olympics, Ammann’s best finish was 7th in the team large hill event.
On February 19th Ammann will compete for a fourth gold medal in the individual large hill event.