Early Years and Entry into Ski Jumping
Michael Edwards, later known as Eddie the Eagle, grew up in Cheltenham, England. His parents and grandparents worked as plasterers. He first skied at age 13 on a school trip to Italy.
By 17 he raced with the British national team. Unable to afford lift tickets, he switched to ski jumping. In 1986, about eighteen months before the Winter Olympics, he paused plastering to pursue the sport full time. Britain had never fielded a ski jumper at the Games.
Training on a Shoestring
Edwards trained with minimal funds, no coach, and no national team. He slept in a Vauxhall Cavalier, scavenged food, and once camped in a Finnish mental hospital. He wore six pairs of socks inside hand-me-down boots. On one jump his helmet string snapped and the helmet flew farther than he did.
After a crash he tied his jaw in a pillowcase and kept jumping. He shoveled snow and scrubbed floors for hill access. He broke Britain’s unofficial 70-meter mark. Before Calgary, the Italian team gave him a new helmet and the Austrians provided skis.
Calgary 1988
At the Calgary Winter Games he competed in the 70-meter and 90-meter events. He finished last among the starters in both, with three scratched jumpers listed in the 90-meter field. Broadcasters announced “The Eagle has landed.” He told reporters, “In my case, there are only two kinds of hope—Bob Hope and no hope.”
After the Games he appeared on The Tonight Show, rode in a parade in Cheltenham, and signed with Eagle Airlines. He recorded “Fly Eddie Fly” and the Finnish single “Mun Nimeni On Eetu,” which reached number two in Finland. He performed in Finland, including a festival near Helsinki with the band the Raggers.
After Calgary
His earnings were placed in a trust for amateur status. The trust collapsed in 1991 and he declared bankruptcy, later winning a settlement of about £100,000. In 1990 the International Olympic Committee introduced minimum qualifying distances that excluded him from later World Cups and Olympics. He received critical letters from some competitors.
He lived in Woodchester in the South Cotswolds with his wife Samantha and daughters Ottilie and Honey. He carried the torch in a 2010 relay, gave talks on cruise ships, reached the finals of Let’s Dance for Sport Relief, and won a celebrity water sports event. He later joked about studying sports law as a “legal eagle.” He continued to attend ski events, including a juniors meet in Bavaria.
At Calgary 1988, British plasterer Michael "Eddie the Eagle" Edwards entered Olympic ski jumping with no coach or funding.
Britain had never fielded a jumper.
Broadcasters yelled "The Eagle has landed" as he gained attention despite finishing last…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/lbL83thtXq
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) September 5, 2025