Britain's unlikely ski jumping Olympian and the spirit of Calgary 1988
Winter SportEddie Edwards is the only British athlete to have finished last in an Olympic event and been carried through the closing ceremony on the shoulders of his rivals.
Born in Cheltenham in 1963, Edwards started as a downhill skier before discovering that nobody in Britain did ski jumping, which meant that the only person he had to beat to qualify for the Olympics was himself. He trained on his own, with borrowed equipment and glasses that fogged up on the inrun, and in 1988 he arrived in Calgary as Britain's first Olympic ski jumper in more than sixty years. He finished last in both the 70 metre and 90 metre events, and became the most famous athlete at the entire Games.
His story was never about losing. It was about turning up, taking the chance, and smiling all the way down the hill. The International Olympic Committee later introduced qualification standards specifically to prevent another Eddie, a rule unofficially known in the sport as the Eddie the Eagle Rule. The 2016 feature film starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman brought his story to a new generation and made him a household name all over again.
Off the slopes Edwards trained as a plasterer, qualified as a solicitor, released a couple of unlikely pop singles in Finland, and built a career as a motivational speaker whose central message is disarmingly simple. Turn up, try hard, do not be frightened of looking daft.
At Steam Wine Bar he delivers that message with the warmth and self deprecating humour that made the world fall for him in the first place, and with enough Olympic behind the scenes stories to fill a second film.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
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