Olympic high jump champion Dick Fosbury has died aged 76. The American revolutionized his sport with the new technique, which got his name as the “Fosbury flop”. Fosbury passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on Sunday after a flare-up of lymphoma, his agent said.
Fosbury was the first high jumper to do a backwards jump over the bar while his competitors belly-first or ‘scissor jump’ attempted to cross the bar. At first he had to listen to a lot of criticism and ridicule. The critics were wrong, Fosbury won gold in Mexico in 1968 with an Olympic record of 2.24 m.
After that, he was surprised that his technique subsequently became established worldwide. “I didn’t know others could do it and I never thought I would revolutionize my sport,” Fosbury said later.