1. Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards
Only British ski-jumper ever to qualify for Olympics.

2. Fast Facts Michael Edwards known as Eddie Edwards
born 5 December 1963 in Cheltenham, England
first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping
British National Ski-jumping Record holder(73.5m)
Stunt Jumping World Record Holder (10 cars/6 buses)
World No 9 in Amateur Speed-skiing (106.8mph)
He is very short sighted

3. Start of Career Coach-Chuck Berghorn Trained in Lake Placid, NY“
Start of Career
Coach-Chuck Berghorn
Trained in Lake Placid, NY
Used coach`s equipment though he had to wear six layers of socks to make the boots fit
Was overweighted for ski-jumping
Had lack of financial support for training - he was totally self-funded
Treated a broken jaw by tying a pillow case around his head because he could not afford medical attention
Although later claimed he was never afraid of heights
“They said I was afraid of heights. But I was doing 60 jumps a day then, which is hardly something someone who was afraid of heights would do. ... But he was afraid of jumping? Of course I was. There was always a chance that my next jump would be my last. A big chance.”
—The Guardian, 3 September 2007

4. The Olympics
He qualified, as the sole British applicant, for the 1988 Winter Olympics in ski-jumping
First Brit to compete in ski-jumping competition in Olympics (and so far the last)
Finished last in both K70 and K90 events (although jumped national record)
He became very popular and cained a lot of fame around the globe
Shortly after the Olympics finished, the entry requirements were greatly toughened, making it next to impossible for anyone to follow his example
The press nicknamed him "Mr. Magoo", and one Italian journalist called him a "ski dropper"
At the closing ceremony the president of the Games singled him out for his contribution: "At this Games some competitors have won gold, some have broken records and one has even flown like an eagle." At that moment, 100,000 people in the stadium roared 'Eddie! Eddie!'. It was the first time in the history of the games that an individual athlete had been mentioned in the closing speech.

5. Fame
Known as the 'barmy Brit,' he soon gained a huge following throughout the world.
Millions watched his jump and when he landed he raised his arms in a salute normally reserved for the outright winner.
The worse he did, the more popular he became
He became a media celebrity and appeared on talk-shows around the world
Few people know who won the 90 meter ski jump at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Everyone, however, knows that Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards came a definitive last
In 2009 film Eddie the Eagle, starring Steve Coogan is set to be released

6. Funny Facts
"A living embodiment of the Olympic spirit, he said that he did not train in the gym because it made him ache..."
Edwards's qualification (no one else from England applied) prompted the IOC to institute an "Eddie the Eagle rule," stipulating that prospective Olympians must place in the top 30 percent of the top 50 competitors to qualify for the games.

7. Nagano He didn’t make it
After recovering from a skull fracture and bankruptcy tried to make to the Olympics in 1998
He was 32
He had new equipment, a new sponsor
Said that he was really thinking about the technique what he hadn`t done in Calgary
Wanted to prove he was taking ski-jumping seriously and wasn’t a clown
He didn’t make it

8. After Ski-jumping
He earned a degree in law at De Montfort University in Leicester
Edwards released a book (and a video) called On the Piste
And later a song called "Fly Eddie Fly" that reached the Top 50 in the UK.
Recorded original Finnish song "Mun nimeni on Eetu" ("My name is Eetu"), though he does not speak Finnish
On 13 February 2008, Edwards made a return visit to Calgary to take part in festivities marking the 20th anniversary of the games
Now lives in the Stroud Valleys and earns a living as a plasterer but also teaches and enjoys skiing and ski-jumping

9. Lake Placid ski-jump
Calgary Olympic ski-jumping venue
Cheltenham
Stroud Valleys

10. Thank you for watching
"Fly Eddie Fly"