At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, US high jumper Dick Fosbury shocked the world, revolutionizing the sport with his “Fosbury Flop”. That day, Fosbury won the gold medal and set a new Olympic record at 2.24 meters (7 ft 4¼ in).
Four years later, in Munich, 28 of the 40 competitors used Fosbury’s technique, although gold medalist Jüri Tarmak used the straddle technique. By 1980, 13 of the 16 Olympic finalists used it. Of the 36 Olympic medalists in the event from 1972 through 2000, 34 used “the Flop”.
