DFormer Olympic high jump champion Dick Fosbury has died. The inventor of the Fosbury flop jumping technique named after him died on Sunday, as the AP news agency, citing his adviser Ray Schulte, and the American Athletics Association (USA Track and Field) announced on Monday. The track and field athlete, whose full name was Richard Douglas Fosbury, was 76 years old.
Fosbury had revolutionized his discipline. The high jumper developed a technique in which the bar is crossed backwards. The American won the Olympic gold in Mexico City’s Estadio Olimpico on October 20, 1968 with a jump of 2.24 meters. The Fosbury flop thereafter became the standard in high jump, but the namesake retired just a year after his greatest success.
“I was just lucky enough to be the first”
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Fosbury, a true legend and a pioneer in the athletics world. Dick’s innovative technique of the Fosbury flop revolutionized the high jump and changed the sport forever. His gold medal win at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics not only cemented his place in US Olympic history, but also left an indelible mark on the global sports community,” USA Track and Field chief Max Siegel said on Twitter. Association account quoted. Fosbury’s legacy will live on as an inspiration to all, it said.
A legend: Fosbury at the opening of the 2016 Commonwealth Games.
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Image: AP
“The jump opened doors for me,” Fosbury once said. “I was just lucky enough to be first. I am absolutely convinced that someone else would have invented the technique.” His jumping technique was also the beginning of the end of the “belly roll”, also known as the straddle.
IOC President Thomas Bach praised Fosbury as a revolutionary in his sport. “Dick Fosbury made unforgettable Olympic history by revolutionizing the high jump at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. The Games were never the same after he won the gold medal by ‘flopping’ the bar,” the International Olympic Committee chief said Monday.
“Dick Fosbury has always been true to Olympic values and has served the Olympic movement in a number of capacities. He will forever be remembered as an outstanding Olympic champion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” Bach said.