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‘Fosbury Flop,’ dies at 76

[h=1]Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized high jumping with the ‘Fosbury Flop,’ dies at 76[/h]
Dick Fosbury, who used a revolutionary high-jumping style to win the 1968 Olympic gold medal as an Oregon State junior, died Sunday. He was 76.

Ray Schulte, Fosbury’s former agent, said in a statement that the cause of death was lymphoma.

Fosbury began tinkering with what became known as the “Fosbury Flop” while he was a member of the Medford High School track team after failing to clear 5 feet, 6 inches.



At the time, Fosbury was using a conventional, straddle technique in which athletes faced the bar as they jumped. Fosbury, against the advice of his coaches, began successfully clearing the bar by going over backward.



“I had never cleared (5-6) before and I knew I had to do something different to get over that bar,” Fosbury told reporters. “So, to lift my hips, I leaned back to get my body out of the way. And it worked.”



Even after joining the OSU track team, Fosbury faced resistance from the coaching staff until he began clearing 7 feet, winning meets and setting records.



The “Fosbury Flop” still was considered a novelty when Fosbury won the 1968 NCAA championship, made the Olympic team and then brought home the gold medal from the games in Mexico City.



Four years later, 28 of 40 high jumpers in the Munich Olympics were using Fosbury’s flop. It’s now the default style for virtually all competitive high jumpers.


https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/...jumping-with-the-fosbury-flop-dies-at-76.html
 
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