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Eddie the Eagle

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This article is about the British ski jumper. For the film based on his life, see Eddie the Eagle (film). For other uses, see Eddie the Eagle (disambiguation).

Eddie the Eagle
Michael Edwards riding a ski lift in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in March 2017
Country Great Britain
Full nameMichael David Edwards
Born (1963-12-05) 5 December 1963 (age 60)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
World Cup career
Seasons1987–1989

Michael David Edwards (born 5 December 1963),[1] better known as Eddie the Eagle, is an English ski jumper and Olympian who in 1988 became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping, finishing last in the Normal Hill and Large Hill events. He held the British ski jumping record from 1988 to 2001. He also took part in amateur speed skiing, running at 106.8 km/h (66.4 mph), and became a stunt jumping world record holder for jumping over 6 buses.[2]

In 2016, he was portrayed by Taron Egerton and Tom and Jack Costello in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle.

Background

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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.[3] After a taste of skiing on a school trip aged 13, he developed his skills on dry slopes, then worked for a season at Glenshee in Scotland.[4] Having not made the grade as a downhill skier, he switched to ski jumping as there were no other British ski jumpers with whom to compete for a place.[5]

Edwards began jumping under the supervision of John Viscome and Chuck Berghorn[6] 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 kilograms (181 pounds; 12 stone 13 pounds), more than 9 kg (20 lb) heavier than the next heaviest competitor—and by his lack of financial support for training, being totally self-funded.[7] Another problem was that he was very far-sighted, wearing thick glasses under his goggles, which would mist up at altitude.[7]

Edwards first represented Great Britain at the 1987 World Championships in Oberstdorf in Bavaria, West Germany, and was ranked 55th in the world. This performance qualified him as the sole British applicant for the 1988 Winter Olympics ski jumping competition. He received confirmation of his qualification for the games while working as a plasterer and temporarily residing in a Finnish mental hospital, due to lack of funds for alternative accommodation rather than as a patient.[8]

1988 Winter Olympics

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During the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary Edwards competed in and finished last in both the 70 m and 90 m events. In the 70 m, he scored 69.2 points from two jumps of 61.0 m; second-last Bernat Solà Pujol of Spain scored 140.4 points from 71 m and 68.5 m jumps; winner Matti Nykänen of Finland had 229.1 points from 89.5 m jumps. In the 90 m, Edwards scored 57.5 points from 71 m and 67 m jumps; third-last Todd Gilman of Canada had 110.8 points from 96 m and 86.5 m; Nykänen won again, with 224 points from 118.5 m and 107 m.[9]

From the beginning, the press version of his story was "embroidered with falsehoods".[10] Edwards commented, "They said I was afraid of heights. But I was doing sixty jumps a day then, which is hardly something someone who was afraid of heights would do."[10]

His lack of success endeared him to people around the globe. He subsequently became a media celebrity and appeared on talk shows around the world, appearing on The Tonight Show during the Games. The press nicknamed him "Mr. Magoo", and one Italian journalist called him a "ski dropper".[11]

At the closing ceremony, the president of the Organising Committee, Frank King, singled out Edwards for his contribution. King said, addressing the competitors, "You have broken world records and you have established personal bests. Some of you have even soared like an eagle."[12]

Edwards' jump of 71 m at the Winter Olympics was then a British record (now 134.50 m held by Halifax-born Sam Bolton). His Olympic jump still puts him sixth on the all-time list of British ski jumpers.

"Eddie the Eagle" Rule

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Following the widespread attention that Edwards received in Calgary shortly after the Olympics finished, the entry requirements were made stricter, making it nearly impossible for anyone to follow his example: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) instituted what became known as the Eddie the Eagle Rule, which requires Olympic hopefuls to compete in international events and be placed in the top 30 percent or the top 50 competitors, whichever is fewer.[13]

Edwards failed to qualify for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, or the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway. He got a five-year sponsorship from Eagle Airlines, a small British charter company, to support his attempt to reach the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan, but failed to qualify for those as well.[10]

Return to Calgary and other media appearances

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On 13 February 2008, Edwards made a return visit to Calgary to take part in festivities marking the twentieth anniversary of the Games. During his visit, he rode the zip-line at Canada Olympic Park with a member of the Jamaican bobsled team (the ride simulates the speed of a ski jumper) and led a procession of skiers down the slopes of the park while carrying an Olympic torch.[14][15]

Edwards was chosen as a torchbearer in the relay for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He ran with the torch on 7 January 2010 in Winnipeg.[16]

Edwards released a book (and a video) called On the Piste.[17] In 1991, he recorded a single in Finnish entitled "Mun nimeni on Eetu" ("My name is Eetu"), B-sided with "Eddien Siivellä" ("On Eddie's Wing"), though he does not speak Finnish. Edwards learned the lyrics phonetically and the song reached No. 2 in the Finnish charts.[18] "Mun nimeni on Eetu" was written by Finnish singer Irwin Goodman.[19]

In the same year (1991), Edwards completed a charity ski jump at a ski slope in Christchurch, Dorset. He raised £23,000 for BBC Children in Need by jumping over 10 cars using a ski jump made of scaffolding.

Edwards appeared in a number of advertising campaigns, e.g. on television, promoting cars, and commanded fees of £10,000 an hour. Nevertheless, he declared bankruptcy in 1992, claiming that a trust fund for his earnings was not set up properly.[20] In 2003, he graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester with a degree in law.[21] "I've been interested in law since taking out a civil action against my trustees 10 years ago", he said in an interview in 2001.[22]

On 25 February 2012, he appeared as a competitor on episode 2 of BBC1's Let's Dance for Sport Relief, 2012 and got through to the final on most public votes. His performances were accompanied by the Royal British Legion Band & Corps of Drums Romford.[23]

In 2013, he won the first series of the British celebrity diving programme Splash!, mentored by Tom Daley.[24]

In January 2014, he commentated on the Channel 4 TV programme The Jump,[25] where 12 famous people took part in winter sports.[26] As part of each episode, Edwards jumped off the largest of three ski jumps. In the same year, he appeared as a guest on the ITV2 comedy show Fake Reaction.

Edwards before his first jumps in 15 years at the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics

In 2017, he returned to the ski jumping facilities at Canada Olympic Park, where he had taken part in the Olympics in 1988, to make some jumps that were his first in over 15 years.[27]

In 2021, Edwards appeared on the UK version of The Masked Dancer masked as Rubber Chicken. He was the fourth celebrity to be unmasked.

In 2024, he appeared as a contestant on the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice. Edwards was brought in as a replacement after Stephen Lustig-Webb was forced to withdraw from the series.[28] He was originally paired with Tippy Packard, but due to an injury she had to withdraw from the show before the competition took place. Vicky Ogden was brought in as a replacement for Packard.

Biopic

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Main article: Eddie the Eagle (film)

A biopic chronicling the life story of Edwards had been planned by Irish director Declan Lowney since 2007. Comedian Steve Coogan was originally chosen for the title role,[29] but in 2009 Lowney announced that Rupert Grint would instead play the part. The film was scheduled to begin production once Grint completed work on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, but did not go ahead.[30]

In March 2015, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired the film, with Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman starring and Dexter Fletcher directing, from a screenplay by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton.[31][32][33] Egerton would portray the adult Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Tom and Jack Costello younger versions of Edwards, while Jackman would portray his coach, Bronson Peary. It was later announced that Christopher Walken had also joined the film, portraying the role of Bronson Peary's mentor.[34]

The film, Eddie the Eagle, was released in early 2016 and grossed a worldwide total of $46.1 million. In the UK, it grossed $12.8m, making it the highest grossing British film of 2016.[35] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 82% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[36]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Edwards, Eddie (2016). Eddie the Eagle: My Story. Graymalkin Media. ISBN 9781631680649.

References

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  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards". UK After Dinner Speakers and Motivational Speakers. Now You're Talking. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Edwards 2016, Chapter 2.
  4. ^ Ritchie, Gayle (15 January 2021). "Eddie the Eagle: From scavenging bins and living in a mental asylum to working at Glenshee". The Courier. Dundee. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Calgary '88 icon Eddie the Eagle returns to carry 2010 Olympic torch". Yahoo! Sports Canada. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009.
  6. ^ Macaulay, Sean (25 February 2016). "'Eddie the Eagle's Screenwriter Picks His 10 Favorite Underdog Sports Films of All Time". UPROXX. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b Viner, Brian (8 December 2008). "Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards: 'It was while I was in a mental hospital I heard I was in the Olympic team'". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  8. ^ Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards – Olympic legend YouTube
  9. ^ "Calgary 1988 Official Report" (PDF). XV Olympic Winter Games Organising Committee. LA84 Foundation. 1988. pp. 597–605. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  10. ^ a b c Jeffries, Stuart (3 September 2007). "Flying high". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards wins over fans at 1988 Winter Olympics". CBC Archives.
  12. ^ Litke, James (29 February 1988). "Golden light extinguished, but memories will live on". Rome News-Tribune. AP.
  13. ^ Pye, Steven (4 February 2014). "Reappraising Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  14. ^ McIntyre, Doug (14 February 2008). "Golden Memories Fired Up!". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ Zip-line ride: Global News Calgary (television broadcast), 13 February 2008
  16. ^ James Keller (1 November 2009). "Calgary '88's Eddie the Eagle returns to carry torch". CTV. The Canadian Press he is also said to carry the torch for the 2018 games. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  17. ^ Crowe, Dave; Edward, Eddie (1999). On the Piste. London: Chameleon. ISBN 0-233-99497-1.
  18. ^ by iain martin · 8 February 2019 (8 February 2019). "Episode 30: Skiing in Morocco, Powder Technique, Team GB Medals & Eddie The Eagle Pt2 – The Ski Podcast". Theskipodcast.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Whatever Happened to Eddie the Eagle, Britain’s Most Lovable Ski Jumper? The Smithsonian February 2014
  20. ^ "Eddie the Eagle: 'I went from £6,000 a year to £10,000 an hour'". The Telegraph. 19 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Eddie aims to be legal eagle". BBC News. 17 July 2003.
  22. ^ "Take a look at me now". BBC Sport. 1 March 2001. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  23. ^ "Royal British Legion Band & Corps of Drums Romford Achievements". Royal British Legion Band & Corps of Drums Romford.
  24. ^ Millar, Paul (3 February 2013). "'Splash!' final most-watched Saturday night show". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Channel 4's The Jump". Channel 4.
  26. ^ EDWARDS, EDDIE. "Eddie's Jump". Channel 4.
  27. ^ Kassam, Ashifa (6 March 2017). "Eddie 'the Eagle' soars again: ski jumper returns 30 years after Calgary Olympics". The Guardian.
  28. ^ "Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards joins the cast of Dancing on Ice 2024". ITVX. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Coogan to play Eddie 'The Eagle'". BBC News. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  30. ^ Sweeney, Ken (22 November 2009). "The Diary: Irish director makes leap of faith in casting for 'Eagle' biopic". Sunday Tribune. Dublin, Ireland. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010.
  31. ^ DeFore, John (13 March 2015). "'Eddie The Eagle' Sundance Review". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  32. ^ "Eddie the Eagle | Coming to theaters on Feb 26th, 2016". Eddie The Eagle | 20th Century Fox. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  33. ^ Fletcher, Dexter (26 February 2016), Eddie the Eagle, retrieved 1 April 2016
  34. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro (31 March 2015). "Christopher Walken Joins Movies 'Nine Lives' & 'Eddie The Eagle'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  35. ^ "Eddie the Eagle (2016)". Box Office Mojo. 23 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Eddie the Eagle (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
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