Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards and other athletes whose famous losses turned to great victories
SOME of the worst competitors in sporting history have given us some of the best stories. Just ask England’s Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards (left) whose lack of talent didn’t prevent him competing at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988.
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SOME say that “winning is everything”, but sometimes losing can be a ticket to fame. A well-known example of this is England’s Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards whose lack of ski jumping talent didn’t prevent him entering the event at the Winter Olympics in 1988.
Edwards had been a good but not great downhill skier who failed to qualify for the 1984 Olympics. Seeing Olympic glory slipping away he switched his event to ski jump. Since England lacked ski jumpers he would have no competition.
Winning a place on the team for the Calgary Winter Games in 1988 he finished last in the 70m and 90m events. He competed in such spectacularly bad style that he became a crowd favourite, earning his nickname “the Eagle”. It made him famous and provided the inspiration for the movie Eddie the Eagle, opening on April 21.
In 1990 the IOC implemented a new rule that to qualify athletes had to be in the top 50 or top 30 per cent of competitors at world championships, known as the “Eddie the Eagle” rule, which ruled Eddie out in ’92, ’94 and ’98.
Because of his failure he is one of a select group of athletes who became well-known for their lack of prowess or their ability to lose with aplomb.
Eric “the Eel” Moussambani
EQUATORIAL Guinea’s Eric Moussambani only took up swimming eight months before he competed in the 2000 Olympics.
He won a place on the team thanks to a wildcard draw that was meant to encourage developing nations to participate. Moussambani lined up for his 100m heat, but his competitors were both disqualified for false starts so he was left to swim the race alone.
Unfortunately he had only ever swum in a 50m pool and during his swim he looked like he wasn’t going to make it.
The crowd watching him laughed at his lack of technique, then gasped when it looked like he might go under, but cheered when he finally emerged from the pool. His time, 1min 52.72 sec, was a personal best but was 43 seconds outside the qualifying time (in fact it was the slowest time in Olympic history).
Despite winning his heat and the hearts of the crowd he didn’t go any further. He never competed at another Olympics but was later appointed coach of the Equatorial Guinea swimming team.
Jamaican Bobsled Team
JAMAICA was well known for its track and field successes at the summer Olympics. But in 1987 George Fitch, an American businessman who was Commercial Attache at the American Embassy in Kingston, said that good athletes should be able to do any sport. So he accepted a challenge to prepare a bobsled team for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The IOC tried to bar them but influential Olympians, including Prince Albert of Monaco argued in favour of them competing.
They had to borrow a spare sled from competitors and fared poorly, crashing their sled. But spectators loved them and the team inspired a 1993 film, Cool Runnings, based loosely on their story.
Jamaica has competed in bobsled at subsequent winter games, with their best performance being a creditable 14th place in 1994.
Bernard Freyberg
BORN in Surrey, England, but raised in New Zealand, Bernard Freyberg became a strong swimmer, winning the 100 yards event at the New Zealand swimming championships in 1906 and 1910.
He qualified as a dentist, then joined the military before heading to America. When war broke out in 1914 he went to England to join up, awarded a DSO at Gallipoli for swimming about 3km to shore to set up flares at Bulair. He was also awarded a VC at the Somme.
After the war he stayed in the army but still fancied himself a swimmer, famously failing several attempts to swim the English Channel.
On his final attempt in 1925 he came very close, stopping 500m short of Dover. He had to be pulled from the water, the moment was captured on film. But it was deemed a “valiant effort” earning him wide respect and admiration.
He later commanded New Zealand forces in World War II and become the NZ Governor General.
Robin Deakin
TAGGED as “Britian’s worst boxer”, Robin Deakin won his first professional bout in 2006, but lost his next 51 fights.
At one point his boxing licence in Britain was revoked, for fear he would be killed, but he went and got one in Malta. Audiences flocked to watch “Rockin” Robin, 27, and last year he finally won his second fight in 53 bouts.
Originally published as Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards and other athletes whose famous losses turned to great victories
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