Eddie the Eagle: I want to ski a black run on my 100th birthday

Oliver Brown Sun, 8 February 2026 at 6:00 am UTC·12 min read Ski jumping straddles a slender line between majesty and masochism. Long before the latest eye-watering suggestions of the sport’s leading men injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to become more aerodynamic, this cult-like world was awash with tales of anorexia, of athletes starving themselves to observe the principle that “fat doesn’t fly”. All of which rendered Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards the glorious anomaly, the lovable trier who, 38 years ago, propelled himself into the freezing skies above Calgary less like a guided missile than a slightly skittish ostrich, but who made millions of hearts soar en route.Advertisement...