Simon Ammann, First Gold Medallist in Vancouver

Switzerland’s Simon Ammann has taken the very first gold medal of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, winning the men’s Normal Hill individual ski jumping event in Whistler.  Aged 29, Ammann, who broke the hill record with a second jump of 108m, finished seven points ahead of silver medallist Adam Malysz of Poland and third-placed Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria.

Ammann, who won two individual gold medals at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, has joined Matti Nykänen and Jens Weißflog as the only ski jumpers to have won three individual golds in Olympic competition.

On this first official day of competitions in Vancouver, the finals of the women’s biathlon 7.5 km sprint, men’s 1500m short track speed skating, women’s freestyle skiing moguls and men’s 5,000m speed skating are also being staged. The men’s downhill skiing event scheduled for today has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

The seven sports on the programme in Vancouver comprise 15 disciplines. In total, 86 Olympic titles will be awarded during these Olympic Winter Games. 

Every medal won in Vancouver is a one-of-a-kind work of art, featuring  Aboriginal artworks, and will be undulating rather than flat — both firsts in Games history. The dramatic form of the Vancouver 2010 medals is inspired by the ocean waves, drifting snow and mountainous landscape found in the Games region and throughout Canada. The Olympic medals are circular in shape, while the Paralympic medals are a superellipse, or squircle.