Fosbury Flop (Mexico City 1968 high jump)

Lore & Background

Before 1968, high jumpers used techniques like the straddle or scissors, clearing the bar face-down or sideways. Dick Fosbury, a lanky college student from Oregon, developed an unorthodox method: running a curved approach, then leaping backwards and arching his back over the bar. Coaches and purists dismissed it as clumsy or dangerous, but Fosbury refined it relentlessly. At the Mexico City Olympics, his 'Flop' drew gasps and skepticism, but his success silenced critics and sparked a global shift in technique.

In Their Own Story

The Estadio Olímpico Universitario buzzed under the thin, high-altitude air. Dick Fosbury, all angles and awkward grace, began his J-shaped run. As he planted his foot and launched upward, his body twisted mid-air, back arching like a drawn bow. The bar quivered but stayed in place. The crowd, used to belly-down clearances, fell silent before erupting. Fosbury rose from the foam pit, a grin splitting his face. He had just cleared 2.24 meters—and rewritten the book on high jumping.

Reader's Guide

The 1968 Olympic men's high jump final took place on October 20 in Mexico City's high altitude, which aided airborne events. Dick Fosbury faced favored rivals like Valeriy Brumel (USSR), but his unconventional technique proved decisive. Using the Fosbury Flop, he cleared 2.24 meters (7 ft 4.25 in) on his final attempt to win gold, while most competitors stuck with the straddle method. The event is remembered because Fosbury's victory instantly popularized the flop, which within a decade became the standard technique for elite high jumpers. It remains a symbol of innovation in sport—a moment when tradition yielded to ingenuity.

Did You Know?

• Dick Fosbury first experimented with the flop in high school after struggling with the straddle technique.
• Fosbury's gold medal jump of 2.24 meters set a new Olympic record at the time.
• The technique was initially called the 'Fosbury Flop' by a journalist, and the name stuck.