Dick Fosbury Death And Obituary – Dick Fosbury, a former gold medal Olympic high jumper, passed away on March 12th at the age of 76. Fosbury is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. Besides winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, he revolutionized the high jump event with a “back-first” technique, now known as the Fosbury Flop, adopted by almost all high jumpers today. His method was to sprint diagonally towards the bar, then curve and leap backwards over the bar, which gave him a much lower center of mass in flight than traditional techniques. He continued to be involved in athletics after retirement and served on the executive board of the World Olympians Association.
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Fosbury took the gold medal and set a new Olympic record at 7 ft 4+1⁄4 in, displaying the potential of the new technique. Despite the initial skeptical reactions from the high-jumping community, “Fosbury Flop” quickly gained acceptance. In the Finals competition, only three jumpers cleared 7 ft 2+5⁄8 in, and Fosbury was in the lead by virtue of having cleared every height on his first attempt. At the next height, 7 ft 3+3⁄8 in, Fosbury again cleared the bar on his first jump. His teammate, Ed Caruthers, cleared on his second effort, while Valentin Gavrilov of the Soviet Union missed on all three attempts and earned the bronze medal. The bar was raised to 7 ft 4+1⁄4 in, which would be new Olympic and United States records. Fosbury missed his first two attempts, but cleared on his third, while Caruthers missed on all three of his attempts.
Condolences to his family and friends and may he Rest in Peace.
