Fosbury Flop (Mexico City 1968 high jump)
The backwards leap that changed high jump forever.
The Fosbury Flop is the revolutionary high jump technique introduced by American athlete Dick Fosbury at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. By clearing the bar backwards and head-first, Fosbury transformed the event and won the gold medal, cementing his place as one of the most innovative figures in Olympic history.
Quick Facts
- Event
- Men's High Jump
- Athlete
- Dick Fosbury (USA)
- Technique
- Fosbury Flop (back-first clearance)
- Olympic games
- 1968 Mexico City
- Result
- Gold Medal
- Legacy
- Revolutionized high jump technique
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.
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.
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Elsewhere in The Olympics
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