Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards
June 6th, 2008 by sparky
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards will host Sports Day at The Big Chill festival 2008 A-Z line up | Ticket info
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards – Biography
Perhaps the most famous underdog in the world, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards shot to international fame during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, where he was the first (and only) British ski-jumper in the competition. Eddie (born Micheal Edwards) was working as a plasterer when he qualified as the sole British applicant, having previously represented Great Britain at the 1987 World Championships.
Disadvantaged by being 9kg heavier than the next heaviest competitor, and by a lack of funding (Eddie was entirely self-funded), perhaps the biggest problem he had to overcome was his poor eyesight. Eddie was very short sighted, meaning that he had to wear his glasses at all times, even though they fogged up underneath his ski goggles.
Eddie finished last in both the 70m, and 90m events, but seemingly, the more he failed, the more people took him to their hearts, and at the closing ceremony he was even singled out for his efforts by the president of the Games: "At this Games some competitors have won gold, some have broken records and one has even flown like an eagle."
After the games he became a media celebrity, appearing on talk shows, commercials. He wrote a book ‘On The Piste’, and even made the top 50 with a single called ‘Fly Eddie Fly’. More recently, he has appeared on Five’s The Gadget Show, testing new skiing gadgets.
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards will host Sports Day at The Big Chill festival 2008 A-Z line up | Ticket info
