Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards
| Michael (Eddie) "The Eagle" Edwards | |
|---|---|
Edwards in Munich, March 2016
|
|
| Country |
 Great Britain
|
| Full name | Michael Edwards |
| Born |
5 December 1963 Cheltenham, England |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| World Cup career | |
| Seasons | 1987–1989 |
| Updated on 30 March 2015. | |
Michael "Eddie" Edwards (born 5 December 1963), best known as "Eddie the Eagle", is a British skier who in 1988 became the first competitor since 1929 to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping, finishing last in the 70 m and 90 m events. He became the British ski jumping record holder, ninth in amateur speed skiing (106.8 mph (171.9 km/h)), and a stunt jumping world record holder for jumping over 6 buses.
In 2016, he was portrayed by Taron Egerton in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle.
Edwards was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. His family calls him by his given name, Michael. "Eddie" is a nickname derived by schoolfriends from his surname. Having not made the grade as a downhill skier, he decided to switch to ski jumping as there were no other British ski jumpers with whom to compete for a place.
Edwards began jumping under the eye of John Viscome and Chuck Berghorn in Lake Placid, New York, using Berghorn's equipment, although he had to wear six pairs of socks to make the boots fit. He was disadvantaged by his weight—at about 82 kg (181 lb), more than 9 kg (20 lb) heavier than the next heaviest competitor—and by his lack of financial support for training—he was totally self-funded. Another problem was that he was very farsighted wearing thick glasses under his goggles, which would mist up at altitude.
Edwards was informed of his qualification for the Games while working as a plasterer and residing temporarily in a Finnish mental hospital due to lack of funds for alternative accommodation (rather than as a patient). He first represented Great Britain at the 1987 World Championships and was ranked 55th in the world. This performance qualified him, as the sole British applicant, for the 1988 Winter Olympics ski jumping competition.
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