‘Fosbury Flop’ high jumper Dick Fosbury dies at 76

The lanky leaper completely revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with what is now the most-used technique for elite high jumpers.

Associated Press
Eddie Pells

March 13, 2023

File photo: Former U.S. high jumper Dick Fosbury poses during the 2014 World Athletics Gala Awards, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, in Monaco. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)

Dick Fosbury, the lanky leaper who completely revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop,” has died after a recurrence with lymphoma. He was 76.

Fosbury died Sunday, according to his publicist, Ray Schulte.

Before Fosbury, high jumpers cleared their height by running parallel to bar, then leaping over with a scissors kick, with their faces pointed downward. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he took off at an angle, leaped backward and bent himself into a “J” shape to catapult his 6-foot-4 frame over the bar.

Dick Fosbury, of USA, clears the bar in the high-jump at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. (AP Photo)

Fosbury cleared 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4 1/4 inches) in Mexico City to win the gold and set an Olympic record. By the next Olympics, 28 of the 40 jumpers were using Fosbury’s technique. Today, it is by far the most-used technique for elite high jumpers across the globe.

“The world legend is probably used too often,” sprint great Michael Johnson tweeted. “Dick Fosbury was a true LEGEND! He changed an entire event forever with a technique that looked crazy at the time but the result made it the standard.”

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

Dick Fosbury, who won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico city with an Unorthodox jumping style, is shown on Jan. 6, 1969 in New York City with a photo of himself using the style, Known as the ''Fosbury Flop.'' Fosbury goes over the bar backwards while the standard way is to go over face down with the body parallel to the bar — Dick Fosbury, who won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico city with an Unorthodox jumping style, is shown on Jan. 6, 1969 in New York City with a photo of himself using the style, Known as the ”Fosbury Flop.” Fosbury goes over the bar backwards while the standard way is to go over face down with the body parallel to the bar. (AP Photo)

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.