WARSAW, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Four-time Olympic champion Simon Ammann wants to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympics as the Swiss ski jumper says he "still feels joy on the hill."
Ammann took two golds in Salt Lake City, while eight years later he reattempted his feat in Vancouver as the ski jumper stood the highest Olympic podium after he was the best in both the normal hill and large hill competitions. The 39-year-old jumper has thought about retirement, but now has eyes on the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
"I wasn't sure about performing in Beijing, but it looks much better now. The joy of jumping is back. I managed to score some points in the recent weeks, I feel better than at the start of the season," Ammann said in an interview for Polish media on Thursday.
As it turns out, the four-time world championship medalist improved his results thanks to making changes in equipment.
"We changed a few details, but the shoes were the most important. In Bischofshofen, my loss to the best was huge. It seemed impossible to get close to them, but the change quickly paid off. The jumps improved a lot. It's like the difference between earth and sky. I'm trying to keep this level. If I can stabilize, I'll be fully satisfied," the ski jumper claimed.
"I'm a little afraid that after the end of my career I will have so many responsibilities that they will overwhelm me. As athletes, we have a harmonious life compared to what may happen next. Even the great Lindsey Vonn wrote about it publicly after her last appearance at the Olympics. I wouldn't like to feel the emptiness she mentioned," the Swiss added.
In mid-January, instead of competing at the World Cup in Zakopane, Ammann went to Innsbruck for the Continental Cup. He won one of the competitions and called it a key moment that gave him confidence.
"I was looking forward to that start. It was a perfect day, the conditions were perfect. I was extremely motivated to rejoin the fight for the highest places. Suddenly it worked, so now I think about the Olympics," the athlete concluded. Enditem
