Olympic champions present

Beach volleyball arena near the Eiffel Tower evacuated

Alessandro Hämmerle enjoyed intensive and eventful days at the Olympic Games in Paris(Bild: Alessandro Hämmerle)

Olympic snowboarding champion Alessandro Hämmerle experienced everything in Paris, from the evacuation of the beach volleyball stadium under the Eiffel Tower to thrilling gold medals.

The Vorarlberg native was in Paris with an Omega group. His connection with the Swiss timepiece is his gold medal in snowboard cross in Beijing, when he won by two hundredths of a second, and his love of watches, which he inherited from his father.

Thursday's precisely timed program took him straight from the airport to beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower: "This location is truly extraordinary." Shortly before the end of the evening session, however, a thunderstorm rolled in and the stadium had to be evacuated due to heavy rain. But "Izzy" took it in his stride, in keeping with his nature.

Alessandro Hämmerle was also on the Seine with the Omega tour group.(Bild: Alessandro Hämmerle)

Goosebumps in front of the Palace of Versailles
He got goosebumps on Friday during the show jumping in front of the Palace of Versailles and while swimming in the La Defense Arena: "Great Britain narrowly won the show jumping. The last rider had a lot of responsibility. He had the pressure to deliver and he did it. As an athlete, I could really empathize with that. In combination with the atmosphere, it was very special, as was the atmosphere during the swimming."

Alessandro also experienced the hype surrounding France's superstar Leon Marchand up close: "It's incredible." Full of positive impressions, Hämmerle then set off on his journey home. In September, he will be back on the glaciers in Austria with his board.