Eddie the Eagle Page #6

claiming that she's been your lover...

for the last two years.

Any comment?

Now, Ron, as a British commentator,

what are your thoughts?

He's earned his right to be here.

Love him or hate him, you have to admire

his spirit and determination.

And let's not forget what the founder

of the Olympic movement,

Baron de Coubertin said:

"The most important thing

in the Olympic Games is not to win

"but to take part."

It's not the triumph but the struggle.

Got any photos of yourself as a baby?

...keep ourselves lean and mean.

Make sure the...

Keep the wolf from the door.

- Did you see me on TV?

- Yeah, we all saw you, man.

- And?

- And what?

And what did you think?

Still think I made the wrong decision?

They love me.

You confirmed all my fears.

No-one is taking you seriously.

You are nothing but a side-show.

And the very minute

that 90 meter competition starts

you'll be forgotten.

Okay? So enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

- Well, don't hold back, will you.

- You asked for the truth, bud.

Hello.

- Everything's ready. What's going on?

- It's gonna be okay, I promise.

I could get into big trouble

for this, Eddie.

- Be fine.

- Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you all for coming.

I'm not deluded.

I know there are plenty of athletes

more deserving of publicity than me.

And I would like to apologize

if my silly antics have cast a shadow

over their achievements.

I also know I was messing around

after the 70 meter jump the other day.

I was very excited.

But I take jumping very seriously.

In fact, I love it.

I love it very nearly as much as

proving people wrong.

Which is why I've decided to compete

in the 90 meters.

What?

Wait, I...

I know I'd originally only intended

to jump the 70 meters.

But as people much wiser than me say...

competing in the Olympics doesn't mean

anything if you sell yourself short.

I didn't come here as a novelty act.

And I will not be going home as one.

Thank you for your time.

In the Wild West

we'd be measuring you for your coffin

before you even reach the stairs.

Eddie "The Eagle."

Yeah, it has kind

of a ring to it, I guess.

Wow.

I thought you said I was a fool.

Yeah, well, an old friend

helped me see things differently.

What's with the fluff?

You having a crisis of confidence?

- Fluff? This is a mustache.

- Is that what you call it?

Yeah. Nice jacket.

What happened to the other one?

Well, I got rid of it.

Really?

For now.

And it's cold, let me tell you.

So is this the bit where you say

"I told you so"?

No, this is where I say

that without the booze

I wouldn't even have

the guts to do that jump.

- As your coach, I think you're crazy.

- I don't know what I was thinking.

But as your friend, I say you gotta do it.

This is your moment.

I need a practice jump.

What do you need to know

you don't know already?

It's higher than you've jumped.

You're gonna go faster than ever before.

You're gonna fly farther than

your tiny little brain can handle, but...

it's just a jump, man. Simple.

Eddie, listen.

You got more dedication, more heart

and spirit than any jumpers out there.

Any of them.

Jesus, I spent six months

trying to get rid of you, dude.

You're like gum on my shoe,

you never gave up.

I mean, are you gonna give up now,

at the Olympics?

This is your moment.

You're Eddie "The Eagle," man.

Proud of you. I'm proud of myself.

That's very modest, Peary.

You do realize

smoking is a lot more dangerous

than jumping the 90 meters?

90 meters, what is that in feet?

I dunno, about 300.

No, actually, it's about 295.

Oh, my God.

I wanna hear you at the back

of the stands.

Okay, if you're not yelling it,

you're not selling it.

You're quite a popular guy, Eagle-Man.

Every time you turn on TV you're there.

Yeah. Maybe perhaps you can tell us,

what's the secret?

Clothes.

...underneath the landing area making it

harder and more dangerous than usual.

Can't we watch It's A Knockout?

I'll knock you out

if you turn that channel over.

You're gonna land really hard

on this jump.

When your skis hit the slopes,

you gotta keep your butt up.

That is a very nasty crash.

No, he won't be walking away from that.

I can see the paramedics

rushing to give him help.

Otherwise you're gonna be joining him.

Well, that may not be

the only wipe-out we see today...

not with Britain's Eddie "The Eagle"

Edwards coming up soon.

Eddie's coach is none other than

Bronson Peary...

fallen whiz-kid of '70s ski-jumping.

And a former Olympic squad member

of yours, if I'm not mistaken, Warren.

Well, we spent some years together, yes.

What do you think about

his unconventional return to the sport?

In jumping there's an expression...

"You're never bigger than the hill."

And that was Bronson Peary to a tee.

I never could deal with that.

It broke us apart...

because, as a young man,

he had such talent.

Technique, flair.

Everything but discipline.

As a jumper he was so disrespectful...

of the sport that I'm afraid he's gonna do

the same thing now as a coach.

Thank you, Warren.

Certainly sharp words from Warren Sharp...

No pressure there, then.

Where's my jacket when I need it?

Edwards!

I'm Edwards.

- You all right?

- Yeah, fine.

You all right?

Yeah.

Good.

Let's do this.

Eddie "The Eagle." Eddie "The Eagle."

For you. Not for them.

Just relax. Forget about the numbers,

just remember your fundamentals.

Don't worry about how far.

Just up, back, forward, down. Okay?

- You got this.

- Peary.

It's gonna be all right.

Bo Derek, all or nothing.

Give it both barrels, man.

See you at the bottom.

Jumping is all that matters.

If I didn't jump,

I would drink and have sex all the time.

Congratulations on your medal.

I win gold but I didn't do my best.

You see, if I've done my best

I can come last and be happier.

- Like me?

- You do not do good.

No, I suppose not.

You've done better.

Yeah.

Do you think I'm being patronizing?

No, no, no.

You and I are like

1 o'clock and 11 o'clock.

You see we are closer to each other

than to others.

Winning, losing,

all that stuff is for the little people.

Men like us, we jump to free our souls.

We are the only two jumpers

with a chance to make history today.

If we do less than our best

with the whole world watching...

it will kill us inside.

For all time.

Good luck, Matti.

On to gate number 49,

Matti Nyknen from Finland.

And here he comes, Matti Nyknen...

the Flying Finn.

The youngest World Champion ever...

and on his day, the most supreme...

jumper the sport has ever seen.

He makes it look so effortless.

And that's it.

Olympic history has been made today.

The crowd rise to acclaim the champion.

Now, up next for the 90 meter

from Great Britain...

number 24, Eddie Edwards.

Come on.

By virtue of the fact

that he jumped the 70 meter...

Edwards qualified for the 90 meter

which should prove quite spectacular.

As I'm informed,

he's never jumped the 90 meter before.

Eddie, you are not an athlete!

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