Simon Ehammer breaks indoor heptathlon world record in Torun, Poland; Eaton’s 14-year record eclipsed by 25 points
Simon Ehammer to Ashton Eaton on breaking his heptathlon world record: “I nearly said sorry”
Simon Ehammer to Ashton Eaton on breaking his heptathlon world record: “I nearly said sorry”
Simon Ehammer takes Olympics.com through his record-breaking indoor season, the phone call with the very man whose record he shattered, and the very important decision he has to make ahead of LA28.
“Nobody thought it would be possible,”Simon Ehammerof Switzerland toldOlympics.comin an exclusive interview about the once-unthinkable prospect of surpassing the double Olympic champion decathleteAshton Eatonand his 14-year-old indoor heptathlon world record.
“Everyone spoke about the world record as if it were untouchable, simply because it belonged to Ashton Eaton. Even I had my doubts,” he said.
Those doubts vanished on 21 March at theWorldAthleticsIndoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26, when Ehammer produced two personal bests toset a new indoor heptathlon world recordof 6,670 points, eclipsing Eaton’s mark by 25 points.
Moments after his win, a U.S. coach handed Ehammer a phone.
“He told me Ashton was on the line,” the 26-year-old recalled. “We spoke for about two minutes. He said it was incredible to watch how the two days unfolded, and that it’s always great to see the progression of the sport over the years.
“It was a huge honour to speak with him, and to break his world record, because he has always been my idol. In some ways, I’ve always seen myself in him. He’s fast, he jumps well, and he’s not the best thrower. Seeing what he achieved showed me what’s possible with that type of body.”
Despite the triumph, Ehammer admitted to a fleeting sense of guilt, noting what he described as a “rough two weeks” for Eaton. Just a week earlier, Eaton had lost the Oregon Ducks NCAA record to emerging talentPeyton Blair. His outdoor world record had already fallen in 2018 by France’sKevin Mayer.
Having now taken Eaton’s final remaining record, Ehammer said he felt “almost sorry”.
“I nearly said sorry for breaking it,” he said with a laugh. “But of course, I also thanked him for everything he has given to me and to the sport, for showing how beautiful it can be. I didn’t say much more, it was a very special moment.”
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The route to 6,670: “It would take a perfect heptathlon”
Despite arriving at the 2026 World Indoor Athletics Championships feeling “better than ever before,” Ehammer kept his cards close to his chest.
He spoke of targeting the Swiss national record and reclaiming the European mark he had lost to Norway’sSander Skotheimat the 2025 European Athletics Championships, but stopped short of publicly declaring a world-record attempt.
“I never told the media that I wanted to break the world record, but of course it was in the back of my mind,” he said. “When I ran the numbers, I could see it was possible, but it would take a perfect heptathlon. And there is no such thing as a perfect heptathlon every time.”
Confidence, however, had been building steadily.
“With every performance, I improved the week after. Mentally, that was very reassuring.I knew we had chosen the right approach, that there was more in the tank, and that the preparation had been very good,” he said.
That preparation soon translated into the kind of near-flawless performance Ehammer had said it would take over two days, requiring a string of personal and season’s-best performances.
Ehammer, typically strongest on day one by his own admission, set the tone early with a blistering personal best of 6.69 seconds in the 60 metres.
He followed with 8.15m in the long jump, reinforcing his credentials as one of the world’s leading jumpers, having already claimed two Diamond League trophies and narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish in the event at theOlympic Games Paris 2024.
In the shot put, he recorded 14.87m, before closing the day with a season’s best of 2.02m in the high jump, reaching a day one total of 3,698 points.
Simon Ehammer of Team Switzerland celebrates during the Men’s Pole Vault Heptathlon on day two of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026 at Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena on March 21, 2026 in Torun, Poland. (Photo by Michael Steele
Day two saw him continue his peak personal-best performance form.
No place was that clearer than in the 60m hurdles, as he delivered a run for the ages, 7.52 seconds, the fastest ever recorded in a heptathlon, and a time that would have been good enough to take silver in that discipline at last year’s World Indoors.
“The emotions went through my whole body after the hurdles. I was nearly crying, then celebrating, it was crazy. I knew it [the world record] was possible then, but I still had to perform on a high level in the pole vault,” he said.
The pole vault followed, and again he held firm. It wasn’t until he cleared 5.30m, another season’s best, that he believed the world record could actually be his.
“After the 5.30m, I was 100 per cent sure I will break the world record,because I told myself maybe you get one opportunity in your life to break a world record, and if I don’t take it, it would be so hard, and I’d be disappointed.So it was all or nothing”.
Going into the last event, the 1000m, Ehammer was in a very comfortable spot. He knew that running “even a slower time than last year”, would secure him the world record. “So it had to be possible, I have to do it. I told my family that I will break the world record for sure. I didn’t have any doubts,” he said. All he had to do now was execute.
Everything came down to the final stretch, the 1000 metres. Legs heavy, lungs burning, Ehammer found another gear, pushing through to a final personal best of 2:41.04, and, officially, the world record.
“After the 1000 metres, I ran with the flag to where my family and my wife were,” he said. “There were so many emotions. They were all crying and cheering, and we had a moment to realise what had happened. Seeing their reaction showed me even more what I had achieved. That was the most memorable moment.”
Gold medalist Simon Ehammer of Team Switzerland poses with the score board
Looking ahead, Ehammer believes there is more to come
Even in the immediate aftermath of his breakthrough, the Swiss all-rounder was already dissecting where more points might be found.
“I’m pretty sure I could do better because I lost half a metre in the shot put, and five or six centimetres in the high jump. If I make every discipline a little better, the 6,700 points should be possible. But hopefully, the record will stay as long as Ashton’s, and if someone will break it, it’ll be me.”
Wishes aside, Ehammer acknowledges that the “decathlon field is very strong at the moment”. Where once a small number of athletes dominated, the top tier is now deeper, more competitive, and increasingly difficult to separate.
He points to anew generation emergingin recent years. Athletes born in the early 2000s are reaching the elite level at the same time, increasing both the depth and quality of the field. More competitors are pushing each other earlier in their careers, raising standards across the board.
Another factor is thegrowing appeal of combined events. More athletes are choosing the heptathlon or decathlon, which naturally lifts performance levels. Success at the top, including record-breaking performances, has also helped to show what is possible and inspire others to aim higher.
Finally, he creditschanges in training approaches. Athletes no longer need to fit one specific profile to succeed. Some build their results through speed, like Ehammer himself, while others rely more on strength or technique. Different types of athletes can now reach top scores with tailored training systems. In other words, there is no one right way to train for a heptathlon or a decathlon.
The best way, Ehammer believes, is the one that suits you the best.
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After all, when training for up to 10 different events, one must get creative about balancing skills and training.
For the new world-record holder, that means focusing on his speed and learning from specialists. The hurdles have become his Swiss army knife exercise.
“Our main event is the hurdles, because you have nearly the same positions as the long jump takeoff or the high jump and pole vault,” he said. “You also have the speed for the 100 metres. So we do hurdle training, then throw in some discus or technical training. I’m a multi
long jumper once a week, so I have long jump individual training as well, because the level is so high there.
“I have one main coach, and then I have a lot of specialists. We are going to training camps to get input from discus throwers and javelin throwers, who can give us tips on little things that can give you three or more metres.We train in every event as close as possible to the specialists.”
That versatility also presents a strategic dilemma. As both a world-class multi-eventer and long jumper, Ehammer must carefully choose where to compete, particularly at major championships.
“We decide which events I will do at the worlds or Europeans based on the timetable, to see if it’s possible to do both [decathlon and long jump] or not. Then we choose the better event. The better event is where I’m closer to the medals,” he commented.
That calculation will be especially relevant at the Olympic GamesLA28, where doubling up is already off the table. For now, the decision remains open.
“It changes every day,” he admitted. “My mind goes back and forth.”
He plans to settle on a direction by next year, giving himself enough time to fully (E)hammer down his skills ahead of the Games.
“You need to bring the best version of yourself to the Olympics,” he said. “Having that extra year will help.”
In the meantime, his focus shifts outdoors, a transition he describes as significant compared to the controlled conditions of indoor competition. Still, his enthusiasm remains unchanged.
“I love every part of this fair and beautiful sport,” he said.
Ehammer recently opened his outdoor campaign with a decathlon victory at the Meeting Internazionale Multistars in Brescia on 26 April, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze series. His schedule also includes appearances at the Diamond League Monaco and Weltklasse Zürich, before heading to a training camp in Los Angeles, where he hopes to “smell the air for the Olympics”.
Simon Ehammer of Switzerland competes in the Men’s 60 Metres Hurdles
Picture by 2026 Getty Images