Eddie The Eagle Edwards.
What can you say about this living legend?
Eddie the Eagle is an English ski jumper and Olympian who became the first athlete to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping at the 1988 Winter Games. He finished last in both the Normal Hill and Large Hill events but held the British ski jumping record from 1988 until 2001.
Despite this, Eddie’s determination made him a national hero. What Eddie did at the Calgary Winter Olympics remains breathtaking in its sheer audacity.
With a complete lack of experience, things did not run smoothly. With virtually no financial backing and no ski jump facilities in Britain, Eddie borrowed his mum’s car and travelled around Europe to qualify for the Olympics.
Penniless, he had to take up a variety of part-time jobs, including babysitting, cutting grass, working in hotels, and cooking. In Finland, he famously ended up staying in a mental health hospital, paying only a pound a night. However, it was there that he discovered that he had made the Olympic team.
On another occasion, he broke his jaw and could not afford the medical fees, so he tied it up himself with a pillowcase and carried on regardless.
On his return to the UK, after the Olympics (via the Johnny Carson Show), Heathrow airport was positively swarming with press and fans. Twenty police officers helped him through the mass of 10,000 people.
In 2016, Eddie’s story was released as a feature film starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton.
Eddie The Eagle Edwards – book an Olympic legend!
Despite his fame, Eddie remains a ‘regular guy,’ even still holding down his original job as a plasterer in the West Country. This characteristic gives him a huge connection with any audience.
