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"Eddie the Eagle" returns to ski jumping

Completes six jumps in Calgary, Canada

Same resort he finished dead-last in 1988

CNN  — 

He came, he soared, he conquered hearts across the globe – and now Eddie “the Eagle” is back in flight.

Almost three decades on from from finishing dead last at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, Edwards has returned to the town that hosted his hapless, flailing performances.

The Briton completed six jumps in Calgary Sunday and was cheered on by hundreds of fans. Despite admitting he was nervous and short of practice, the 53-year-old landed 18-meter, 38m and 70m jumps.

“It’s lovely to come back to Calgary,” Edwards told Canadian broadcaster CBC. “There was such a crowd, and they were all shouting ‘Eddie, Eddie,’ and it took me right back to Calgary 29 years ago. They gave me the confidence and the courage to go down there and jump and it was great.

“It’s a little bit like riding a bike, some of it stays and some of it goes. When you’re going down that jump everything starts coming back, it’s like survival mode and your body just knows what to do and it does it whether I think about it or not.”

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Competing in the 70m and 90m ski jumps at the 1988 Games, Edwards finished a distant last in both events. While some were outraged he was allowed to compete, others were endeared by his amateurish attempts, oversized glasses and unorthodox technique.

In 1990, the International Olympic Committee introduced stricter rules on qualifying. This didn’t deter Edwards from trying, but it did ultimately mean his bids to compete at the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics were unsuccessful.

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His antics inspired a 2016 film starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman.