The Swiss athlete has many options ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham.
The Swiss, who broke the long-standing indoor combined world record, is now making a big decision on which discipline to compete in at the European Championships. Whatever he calls Birmingham, he will be a major contender.
Simon Ehammer is a lover of tattoos. She has a few of them on her body, but none are there purely for decoration. “They have a special meaning for me, tattoos give me mental energy.” he says The most prominent can be found on her left shoulder and upper arm, a piece of art that especially stands out when she goes to work in her competition singlet.
“It’s a Norse rune. It is from the Vikings. In the middle you have a compass, and that means it shows you the way, even if you can’t see the way,” he says of the Vegvisir, which means “indicator” in Icelandic, and is surrounded by the symbols of all 10 decathlon disciplines. “(The message behind it is to) believe in what you’re doing and don’t think about what might happen.
“I have a few other little letters that have different meanings, like keep calm, be friendly, everything I’d like to be or the qualities I don’t want to lose. It’s a tattoo with a lot of meaning that gives me confidence to follow your dream. And train for it.”
The 26-year-old is certainly on the right track. He’s already in the dream world in 2026 and, in fact, is still coming to terms with his 6,670-point performance in Torun in March. Not only did it bring him the second indoor men’s heptathlon title of his career, but he also broke Ashton Eaton’s 14-year-old world record by 25 points.
“I never thought it would feel like this when you set a world record,” he says. “To win a medal, I think it’s much easier to realize what happened and what you did. There is something in your hands and you know it. “I was the best in this competition.” In my situation, breaking the world record, ‘I’m the best to ever do this event,’ is so big.”
It didn’t take Ehammer long to realize that he was on to something special in Poland. Once he ran faster than ever to 6.69 in the 60m, the opening routine.
As he began to build the first day’s total of 3,698 points that suggested history was in the making, he began to wonder if Eaton was watching. The second day started in an impressive way. Ehammer produced a world heptathlon performance of 7.52 in the 60m hurdles to strengthen his grip. He didn’t let up, PB 2:41.04, meaning he broke the 2:43 target needed for the record. The now dethroned record holder was indeed watching, and Ehamer’s phone was soon ringing with a number he didn’t recognize.
“Having the chance to talk to him (Eaton) was really nice,” he says. “It was like a childhood dream because he was at the top when I was watching the decathlon or starting my career and breaking the record of Ashton Eaton, the two-time Olympic (decathlon) champion, the world record holder. It was so crazy. He was so nice to me and he was telling me that it was fun to see the competition and the joy and the years.
“It was so beautiful. I was apologizing. I was saying: “Sorry for breaking your world record.” I didn’t know what to say because I took something from him. It was a special moment.
Ehammer is hoping for more special moments in his future this summer, particularly at the European Championships in Birmingham. However, it is not the first time that he has to make a decision. He is also an exceptional long jumper, with a European Under-23 title, outdoor European and World bronze medals, and the world best in the decathlon long jump (8.45m). Should he choose just one event or the unique challenge of tackling 10 in the decathlon and try to lift the European silver he won in Munich in 2022?
Neither option provides an easy path to the podium. All three of the world’s indoor long jump medals went to Europeans, including defending world outdoor champion Mattia Furlani of Italy. Opt for the decathlon and the likes of German world champion Leo Neugebauer, Estonian European champion Johannes Erm and Norwegian star Sander Skotheim, among a few, will be waiting.
“It will be one of my biggest achievements,” Ehammer said when asked what European gold would mean to him. “The only two gold medals I’ve won are indoor, yes, it was gold, but outdoor, in the main season of track and field, to win a gold medal would be perfect.
“And I’ve picked two events, the decathlon and the long jump, where the level is so high at the moment. If you win a European title, it means you can also win a world title or the Olympics, because there are few athletes who now jump more or score more points than Europeans.
“It’s crazy how the rankings have changed over the years because when you look back at the European Championships in Berlin (2018), Arthur Abele won it with 8431, but now you have to score 8600/8700 to medal.
“It’s the same in the long jump. In recent years (Miltiadis) Tentoglu has been jumping at his level and you could usually jump around 8.10 meters and win a medal at the Europeans. Now in Europe you have five or six guys jumping over 8.30m. It gets intense, but I think that’s okay.
Ehammer may have to consult that compass over his shoulder to determine the path ahead, but in fact he will be guided by his talk at the Hypomeeting in Götzis, Austria later this month; He excelled there last year, finishing third with 8,575 points, breaking his own Swiss record.
“After Goetzis, we will choose what to do,” he says. “I will also go to a training camp in Los Angeles for 10 days. It will be like preparation for the second part of the season, and a little bit to see and smell the air of the 2028 Olympics. That’s the plan.”
Ehammer believes that finding joy is a key component of her performance. He found it on his way to gold in Toruń and believes the British public will help him do the same in August. Having won his first world indoor title in Glasgow in 2024, he would love nothing more than another crowning moment on British soil.
“When I watched the (2022) Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it felt amazing,” he says. “It seems like a crazy atmosphere with the crowd and the stadium looks beautiful, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s a place I love and it’s always nice to compete in countries where track and field is big and where the crowd loves it. If we have a large crowd, the performance will be better than if there are no people or the crowd is silent. So I’m looking forward to a loud and happy crowd and then I’ll enjoy it even more.”
No matter which event that crowd sees him compete in this coming August, they can be sure they are watching an athlete who is beginning to reach his full potential.
“I was most proud of the whole competition because it was at a high level,” he says, returning to the topic of the indoor world record. “It felt like we trained for so many years and so many hours for this consistency.
“As a multi-sport competitor, you have to compete at a high, consistent level. When I was younger, it was easier to compete with seven personal bests because you make huge strides in a year. Now I’m at the age where you have to take baby steps to get better and better and be consistent. That’s why I’m most proud of the whole competition.”
Seeing Ehammer take those next steps will be fun to watch.
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