Dick Fosbury
Dick Fosbury was an American high jumper who pioneered the back-first Fosbury flop and won Olympic gold at the 1968 Mexico City Games.
Fosbury flop: A high-jumping technique in which an athlete clears the bar back-first, arching the body over it. Fosbury’s signature technique bears his name and made his Olympic victory possible.
1968 Summer Olympics: The Olympic Games held in Mexico City from October 12 to 27, 1968. Fosbury won the high jump there, establishing the flop before a global audience.
Medford High School: A public high school in Medford, Oregon, where Dick Fosbury developed his distinctive jumping style. Fosbury refined the technique while competing for the school’s track team.
High-jump technique: The set of approaches athletes use to take off, clear the bar, and land in the high jump. Fosbury’s influence is clearest in the event’s subsequent shift toward one dominant technique.
High jump: A track-and-field event in which athletes jump over a horizontal bar without dislodging it. The event Fosbury transformed through a new approach to bar clearance.
Mexico City: The capital of Mexico, located at high altitude in the Valley of Mexico. Its high altitude formed the setting for Fosbury’s Olympic breakthrough.
Oregon State University: A public research university in Corvallis, Oregon, where Fosbury competed in collegiate track and field. He continued developing the flop while competing for its track team.
Landing pit: A padded area beneath the high-jump bar that lets athletes land safely after a jump. The widespread use of deep foam pits supported the flop’s adoption.
Straddle technique: A high-jumping style in which the athlete crosses the bar face-down, leading with one leg. It was a leading rival technique before the flop became standard.
Olympic high jump: The high-jump competition contested at the Summer Olympic Games. Fosbury’s achievement changed technique in the event’s Olympic competition.