Dick Fosbury, a lanky high jumper who revolutionized the sport’s technical requirements and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop,” has passed away. He was 76.
Fosbury passed away on Sunday following a cancer recurrence, according to Ray Schulte, his publicist.
Dick Fosbury cause of death: How did Dick Fosbury die?
Before Fosbury, a lot of high jumpers would run parallel to the bar, take a straddle kick to clear it, and then land with their faces downward.
In order to propel his 6-foot-4 physique over the bar in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Fosbury launched himself at an angle, leaped backward, bent himself into a “J,” and then fell headfirst into the landing pit.
Fosbury broke the Olympic record and broke tradition by clearing 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4 1/4 inches) in front of a global audience. 28 out of the 40 jumpers were utilizing Fosbury’s method by the following Olympics.
The last Olympics when a high jumper won utilizing a method other than the Fosbury Flop was in Montréal in 1976.
Fosbury’s maneuver evolved over time to involve more than just high jumping. Business executives and academics frequently utilize it as a tool
