Olympic Glory......Not Really #4

Here we are at the number four spot on our countdown to the world's worst Olympians in history. When looking back on the Olympics, there are definitely some memorable moments that you'll just never forget. Sometimes these moments are memorable for all the wrong reasons. That was the case when Great Britain's Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards strolled into Calgary to compete in the 1998 Winter Olympics ski-jumping competition. Edwards had already earned the title of the best ski jumper in Great Britain, but there was one major problem with that: Everyone in Great Britain is apparently BRUTAL at ski jumping. Edwards was an accomplished stunt jumper where he was able to jump 10 buses and 6 cars in his prime, however, he never seemed to translate any of that talent in the Calgary Winter Games.

Unlike our previous Olympian on the countdown, Abdul Baser Wasiqi, Edwards managed to not only secure last place in one event, but two. Such an accomplishment is almost unheard of, as training to finish last usually consumes too much time to allow for a dead last finish in any additional events. Not to be denied, Edwards beat all odds to take home last place in the 70m and 90m ski jumping contests. Edwards even set a new British record for distance in one of his jumps, demonstrating how truly awful the British are at ski jumping.

When a legend like this comes along, there are certain things that have to fall into place to help mold a last-place finisher. For Edwards, some feel that he was destined for doom due to his extreme eyesight problems. His telescopic glasses had to remain on at all times just for him to see. With the cold weather, the majority of Edwards' jumps took place with a nice set of frosty eyeglasses. Sounds like they hadn't invented contact lenses in Great Britain yet. Other people said sure the glasses helped him fail, but his weight was what made him a legendary last place finisher. At the time of competition, Eddie tipped the scales at 181lbs, which isn't bad until you realize that the average competitor weighed about 20lbs lighter. It can be settled on that a combination of beefiness and poor eyesight gave us the worst ski jumper in Olympic history 20 years ago.

So, let's all put our hands together for Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards. I'm sure there was pressure for him to lose a little weight and ditch the glasses, but he held strong. Due to his determination to go against the grain, he can now be mentioned right up there with some of the worst Olympians of all-time.