Eddie Edwards Ski Jumper

Eddie Edwards is a well-known British ski jumper who made his name in the 1988 Winter Olympics for ski jumping. Eddie Edwards is not his real name, his real name is Michael Edwards, however he was also known as Eddie the Eagle – a nickname given to him following his appearance in the Olympics.

Michael Edwards Ski Jumping

Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards made his name in ski jumping at the Olympics in what was a very unusual and peculiar way. Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards, the British ski jumper from the 1980’s was so bad at his chosen Olympic sport of ski jumping, with such a unique and incredible backstory, that he became an international sensation, earning numerous nicknames and even having a film made about him in 2016 called ‘Eddie the Eagle’. Eddie Edwards also wrote a Bibliography in 2016, where it was made clear where ‘Eddie’ Edwards originated from – a nickname given to him by his friends!

I don’t want to take any glory away from the incredible achievement of Eddie Edwards – he did after all set (and hold!) a British world record for the ski jump from 1988 until 2001. This may well have been because of the fact the were no real competitive, official records set by any British skier for the ski jump, however nonetheless, it was a record held bizarrely for 13 years!

The former plasterer was the only British entrant for the ski jump event in the 1988 Olympics and therefore qualification wasn’t too much effort for him. Coming from a very poor background with very little money, he faced a real uphill struggle to prepare himself for the Olympics, apart from the fact he couldn’t ski jump. At the age of 22 he left his plastering career behind to pursue his dream of taking part in ski competitions. With no coach, having to tie together an old helmet with a piece of string, and famously having to stay in a Finnish mental asylum to afford being able to spend any time preparing for the Olympic event, he gradually improved his jumping distances, not necessarily to a respectful distance or a competitive one for the Olympics, but enough to easily beat the previous unofficial British record for ski jumping in both the 70m and 90m events.

Ultimately Eddie made it clear that he was not so much concerned about winning anything at the 1988 Olympics, more the success of having the opportunity to go and take part in the event.

Why did Eddie the Eagle stop jumping?

Eddie Edwards (Eddie the Eagle) was made of tough stuff. He didn’t let poor equipment or a lack of skill or training get in his way of competing in the 1988 Olympics. Following the ‘success’ and fame of the 1988 Olympics Eddie Edwards continued to apply for the ski competitions over the years at every opportunity. His qualification attempts at the 1992 Olympics in France, 1994 Olympics in Norway and 1998 Olympics in Japan were unfortunately not successful, and Eddie Edwards’ skiing career slowly fizzled out. Eddie Edwards new found fame served him well following his appearance at the 1988 Olympics, appearing on various TV shows and even a sponsorship deal!

Did Eddie the Eagle jump 90m?

The fact that Eddie Edwards took part in the 90m ski jump in 1988 Olympics is slightly misleading. Eddie Edwards did not in fact manage to jump the 90m as specified by the event name, but instead only managed to jump 71m & 67m in the 90m ski jump event.

Did Eddie the Eagle really miss the opening ceremony?

Although it is clearly portrayed in the movie ‘Eddie the Eagle’ that Eddie Edwards missed the opening ceremony due to getting drunk the night before with some of his friends, this in fact was confirmed as not being true by Eddie Edwards himself! He confirmed he would not have missed that opening ceremony for the world! That’s how much this experience meant to him.

Did Eddie the Eagle have a coach?

Eddie the Eagle did have a series of coaches throughout his skiing career. Although the move ‘Eddie the Eagle’ shows one coach throughout his time skiing, in actual fact Eddie the Eagle had a number of different coaches to help him make the most of the 1998 Olympics. Eddie the Eagle moved to New York at one stage for training with one of his coaches.

What is Eddie the Eagle doing now 2020?

Eddie the Eagle is living a quiet life in the South Cotswolds village of Woodchester. This is not far at all from where Eddie the Eagle grew up in Cheltenham, only a half an hour drive away.

Did Eddie the Eagle ever win?

Although nobody is under any illusion that Eddie the Eagle came nowhere near to winning anything during his brief stint of skiing professionally, there is no denying he was hugely successful in his achievement of what he claims to have set out to do, and that was to take part and give the Olympics his best shot. The success following the Olympics for Eddie the Eagle is what really stands out for this skier, and the rise to fame that followed.