

The rule was implemented in 1990, between the Calgary and Albertville Games. When was the Eddie the Eagle rule implemented? The rule, colloquially known as the “Eddie the Eagle” rule, requires aspiring Olympians to place in the top-30 percent or top-50 competitors overall of an international event, whichever is fewer. Edwards had to give up “85% of his net worth” to his ex-wife as part of a divorce settlement.
#EDDIE THE EAGLE MOVIE#
Edwards’ story was adapted in 2016 in a movie appropriately titled “Eddie the Eagle,” starring Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken and Taron Egerton as Edwards.Įdwards earned 180,000 pounds when the movie came out but reportedly lost most of it when he divorced his wife, Samantha Morton in 2016. If you’re thinking the story of “Eddie the Eagle” belongs in Hollywood, you’d be correct. To this day, Great Britain has still never won a medal in ski jumping. Edwards faced a trifecta of obstacles - lack of funding, his weight that put him nine pounds heavier than the next closest competitor, and nearsightedness that forced him to wear glasses, frequently fogging up and impairing his vision. host of the 1980 Winter Olympics - to train under American coaches Chuck Berghorn and John Viscome. In 1986, Edwards relocated to Lake Placid, N.Y. Edwards was first introduced to the slopes at age 13 and quickly took to downhill skiing.Īfter struggling to make a breakthrough in downhill skiing and facing mounting financial pressures, Edwards switched to ski jumping, an event with considerably less competition and expenses. Michael Edwards, known as “Eddie the Eagle”, was a British ski-jumper who rose to fame at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. While he finished last in both the 70m and 80m events at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, his remarkable background and commitment to the game has garnered worldwide attention.Įdwards’ phenomenal story and trademarked thick glasses earned him fame, the birth of the ‘Eddie the Eagle Rule’ and a movie titled “Eddie the Eagle” based on his life. In 1988, Edwards became the first competitor since 1928 to represent his country in the Olympics and held the British ski jumping record from 1988 to 2001.
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Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards became an iconic English ski-jumper in the 1980s and his legacy lives on at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
