From a cult hero ski jumper, to African bobsleigh pioneers and more, here are half a dozen unexpected heroes
Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards, was the antithesis of the Olympic high-flyer. Heavily disadvantaged by his 82kg (181lb) weight – far heavier than his rivals – poor eyesight and the small matter of being entirely self-funded, he became Great Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper. He finished 67th and last at the 1987 world championships but managed to hit the qualifying standard to secure the sole British spot for Calgary. At the Games, he finished last in the normal hill (70m) and large hill (90m) events. In the normal hill, he scored 69.2 points from two jumps of 55m, while the winner Matti Nykänen scored 229.1 points from 89.5m jumps. Despite the last-place finishes, his enthusiasm captured global media attention but also lead to the “Eddie the Eagle Rule” which was introduced to tighten entry requirements and prevent similar “Olympic tourists”.
Ester Ledecka made headlines in her native Czech Republic not once, but twice, after becoming the first athlete to win gold in two different sports at the same Winter Games. Known primarily for snowboarding, she entered the Super-G Alpine skiing event and, starting with the late bib number 26, snatched the gold medal by 0.01sec over the defending champion Anna Veith. Before the upset, Ledecka’s highest World Cup finish in the Super-G had been 19th. A week later, Ledecka returned to her primary sport to comfortably win gold in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding.
