An Olympic flame torchbearer makes her way down a Winnipeg street as the relay headed out of the city on a frosty Thursday morning. (CBC)The Olympic flame headed out of Winnipeg on Thursday, carried part of the way by an endearing resident of Great Britain who soared to fame at the 1988 Calgary Games.

Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie (the Eagle) Edwards, was a plasterer when he qualified as the sole British applicant for the ski-jump event 22 years ago.

Eddie (the Eagle) Edwards stopped at the CBC Winnipeg studio after participating in the Olympic flame relay on Thursday. (CBC)A self-funded, near-sighted athlete who wore fogged-up glasses during the Olympic competition, he placed last but was embraced by people around the world.

Now 46, his legend lives on as evidenced by the cheers he received while carrying the torch just after 8 a.m. in Winnipeg, a short distance from where it started the day at the Minto Armouries on St. Matthews Avenue.

Edwards was invited by the Canadian Olympic Committee to return to the country where he made his mark and participate in the relay.

He said it was great to be back in Canada and although the torch relay wasn't quite the same as being in the Olympics 22 years ago, it was great to be part of the whole Olympic dream again.

Edwards also noted that a feature-length movie about his experience in 1988 is in the works.

"I'm going to be receiving a script within the next two months and I think they want to start filming towards the end of the year," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I loved Cool Runnings, the film about the Jamaican bobsled team that was also at Calgary. And I'm really looking forward to having this movie being made about my life."

Large crowds line streets

The flame, which arrived in eastern Manitoba on Tuesday morning, has been greeted by large crowds in every community through which it has passed.

That same evening, an estimated 20,000 people attended a jubilant Olympic torch celebration in Winnipeg at The Forks.

The Olympic flame relay began it's journey out of Winnipeg in the darkness of Thursday morning, destined for communities in the southwest before crossing into Saskatchewan. (CBC)The relay made a circuit through the Manitoba Interlake region on Wednesday, and met with more cheers and applause before returning to Winnipeg in the afternoon.

Despite temperatures of –28 C, with a wind chill that made it feel more like –40 C, hundreds of people turned out on Thursday to say farewell to the relay as made its way out of the city along Portage Avenue.

It is scheduled to head south to Winkler and Morden, and then turn back north to arrive in Portage la Prairie for an evening community celebration.

On Friday, the relay continues to Dakota Tipi First Nation, then Neepawa and Minnedosa, and into Brandon for another evening celebration.

On Saturday, the relay's last day in Manitoba, the Olympic flame moves further west to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and Virden before crossing the border into Saskatchewan.

In all, the Olympic torch relay will have visited 33 Manitoba communities this week.