From setting a world record in the indoor heptathlon to winning the decathlon at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in Gotzis, Simon Ehammer has enjoyed an incredible run in combined events. The Swiss star collected 8,778 points in Gotzis and also showed his strength in the long jump, recording an impressive 8.51m. He went on to win silver in the long jump at the European Championships. However, with the LA 2028 Olympics approaching, the 26-year-old has decided to put his decathlon career on hold and focus entirely on the long jump, an event in which he now hopes to fulfil his dream of winning Olympic gold.

On November 1, Ehammer took to Instagram to explain the thinking behind his decision. He revealed that it followed months of discussions and careful consideration with his team. The main reason behind Ehammer’s decision is the scheduling conflict between the two events at the LA 28 Olympics. The men’s decathlon is scheduled for July 16 and 17, 2028, while the men’s long jump qualification will also take place on July 16.

Both events are part of the same morning session at the LA Memorial Coliseum, making it impossible for Ehammer to compete in both. Although the long jump final is scheduled for July 19, he would first need to take part in the qualification round. This leaves him with no choice but to pick one event for his Olympic campaign. “As difficult as this decision was, we had to ask ourselves one simple question: Where do I have the best chance of achieving my ultimate goal, winning Olympic gold?” he wrote.

After weighing up their options, they decided that the long jump would be his sole focus for the Games. However, Ehammer was quick to point out that the decision did not mean he had lost his love for the decathlon. “Decathlon has shaped me as an athlete and as a person. It has given me some of the greatest moments of my career and will always be part of who I am,” he explained.

He also addressed the question many fans would naturally have after hearing the announcement: Is he retiring from the decathlon? His answer was clear: “No.” Instead, Ehammer confirmed that he would stay away from all combined events until the 2028 Olympics. His future in the decathlon will be decided after the Olympic season, once he and his team have assessed what comes next.

The Swiss athlete also explained why he and his team chose to make the decision well ahead of the Games. “We know the transition will require changes in training, preparation, and long-term planning. We want to give ourselves enough time to prepare in the best possible way and leave no stone unturned on the road to LA28,” he wrote.

For now, Ehammer’s focus is firmly on the long jump. Still, the decision to put his decathlon career on hold carries extra weight when you consider everything he has achieved in the event over the years.

Simon Ehammer went from football to becoming a World champion

Born in Stein, Switzerland, Ehammer initially had his eyes set on football rather than athletics. As a child, he played for FC St. Otmar and even took up the position of libero, a defensive role. He loved sports and competition, but track and field was not something he had planned to pursue professionally. That changed when he began taking part in local school competitions, including sprint races and events such as the Swiss Athletic Sprint and the UBS Kids Cup.

His speed and natural athletic ability soon caught the attention of Beat Schluep, a coach at TV Herisau, who encouraged him to take up athletics training. Ehammer accepted the invitation. He was around 11 years old when he began athletics, although he continued playing football for some time before eventually giving more attention to track and field.

By the age of 13, Ehammer had taken another important step by joining the Sports School Appenzellerland in Teufen, Switzerland. The school allowed him to balance his education with regular athletics training. He also became part of TV Teufen, where he continued developing his skills across different disciplines. Rather than focusing on just one event, he trained in sprinting, jumping, and throwing, slowly discovering that he enjoyed the challenge of competing in several events.

Ehammer’s hard work soon began producing results on the international stage. In 2018, he won bronze in the decathlon at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. A year later, he reached another milestone by becoming European U20 decathlon champion in Borås, Sweden. Then, in 2020, he crossed the 8,000-point mark for the first time, scoring 8,231 points and setting a Swiss U23 record. At just 20 years old, he was already showing signs of becoming one of Switzerland’s leading combined-event athletes.

While the decathlon remained his main focus, Ehammer’s ability in the long jump was also becoming impossible to ignore. In 2021, he won the European U23 long jump title. The following year, he made history at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon by winning bronze in the long jump with a leap of 8.16m. He became the first decathlete to win a World Championships medal in an individual event, an achievement that showed he could compete with athletes who trained exclusively for the long jump.

That same year, he also won silver in the decathlon at the European Championships in Munich, scoring 8,468 points. His success in both disciplines continued over the following seasons. Ehammer also made his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games, competing in the long jump. He came close to a medal, finishing fourth with a best jump of 8.20m. 

Now, after spending much of his life building himself into one of the world’s best combined-event athletes and achieving so much in the decathlon, Ehammer has made the difficult decision to put the event on hold.