"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."
"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."
Eddie the Eagle Edwards overcame severe disadvantages to become Great Britain's first Olympic ski jumper. He weighed 82kg (181lb), had poor eyesight, funded his own campaign, and finished 67th and last at the 1987 world championships before qualifying for Calgary. At the 1988 Games he placed last in both the normal hill and large hill events, scoring 69.2 points from two 55m jumps while the winner scored 229.1 from 89.5m jumps. His enthusiasm drew global media attention and led to the Eddie the Eagle Rule tightening Olympic entry requirements. Ester Ledecka won Super-G gold by 0.01sec and later snowboarding gold. Nigeria fielded a four-woman Winter Olympic delegation and finished 19th in the two-woman bobsleigh.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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