At 26 years old, Erm has just finished the most successful season of his career so far. He took bronze in the heptathlon the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, then gold in the Europeans in Rome. Erm has got so used to success this year, that an impressive sixth place finish at the Paris Olympics seemed like a disappointment next to his other achievements.

"The gold medal at the European Championships was really huge, and even now, I get goosebumps just thinking about it," said Erm. "It all started last fall. I really wanted this year to be a strong season. I worked hard and started [what turned out to be a successful] season at the World Indoor Championships, where I finished third. It just kept rolling from there. It was a really great season."

Erm highlighted the importance of his support team in providing the basis for his unprecedented success in 2024. "After graduating from the University of Georgia, I came to Estonia and created a separate team for the decathlon so I could focus more on each area. Technically, I have progressed in every area, but the important thing is that I can now focus on the sport, and school is not a second priority. I live and breathe athletics from morning till night."

For Erm, there is little time for anything else besides athletics.

"A big part of athletics is recovery. I try to sleep in and don't wake up early. I have my training at 11 a.m. because then I can wake up at a normal time, eat some porridge and then get ready for training. The rest of the day depends on whether I have one or two workouts and whether I need to do separate exercises to recover. Doing all the extra bits and pieces on the sidelines can make the day go pretty quickly. Ideally, I have Sundays off, but if I have an injury, I have to deal with that on a Sunday."

Erm plans to rest in September, with preparations for next season starting in October. "I've bought my tickets for somewhere with warm weather – I'm flying to the Balkans tomorrow. I'm going to visit a decathlete friend and we'll travel around the Balkans. I've never been there before, but a friend invited me and it seems like a really cool opportunity."

What goals does the reigning European champion have for next year? "As I've said before, to bring home more medals! There are three title events next year and I will do my best to bring the medals home."

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