Fosbury Flop

If you’ve ever watched a high jump competition and wondered, “Why on earth are athletes jumping backwards?” — you can thank one man: Dick Fosbury. His unusual, almost rebellious technique didn’t just win him an Olympic medal — it completely rewrote the rulebook of high jumping.

Below is a full, original breakdown of everything about the Fosbury Flop — its origins, records, who first jumped backwards, and how this style changed the sport forever.

What Exactly Is the Fosbury Flop?

The Fosbury Flop is a high-jump technique where the athlete runs in a curved approach, takes off on one leg, turns their back toward the bar mid-air, arches over it like a human rainbow, and lands safely on their shoulders/upper back.

Today, it’s the standard technique for nearly every elite high jumper — but in the 1960s, it looked so bizarre people thought Fosbury had lost his mind.

When Was the Fosbury Flop Invented?

The technique wasn’t born in a lab — it came from a frustrated teenager experimenting during practice.

• Around the early 1960s, Dick Fosbury, then a high-school athlete in Oregon, struggled with traditional techniques like the scissors and the straddle.
• Out of desperation (and a bit of teenage stubbornness), he began twisting and turning mid-air to find a more natural way to clear the bar.
• Over time, he refined this backwards-arching motion that looked nothing like other jumpers.

By the time he reached the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the “flop” was polished, risky, and spectacular.

Fosbury’s Olympic Triumph — His Highest Jump

At the 1968 Olympics:

• Fosbury cleared 2.24 meters (7 ft 4¼ in)
• This jump earned him Olympic Gold
• And it also set a new Olympic record

This 2.24 m clearance is considered the highest and most famous jump of his competitive career.

Although this wasn’t a world record, it was dramatic enough to make coaches all over the world rethink everything they knew about high jumping.

Did Fosbury Hold the World Record?

Surprisingly — no.

He never held the world record, only the Olympic record at the time.

But every world record after his era was built upon the technique he introduced. His flop became the foundation of modern high jumping.

Who Was the First High Jumper to Jump Backwards?

Fosbury wasn’t literally the first human to leap backwards over a bar — a few athletes in the late 1950s toyed with similar ideas. One known example is Bruce Quande, who tried a backward-leaning style years earlier.

BUT:

• These attempts were experimental
• They lacked consistency
• Landing pits then were dangerous (sawdust or sand), making back-landings risky

Fosbury was the first to master the style, the first to show the world it worked, and the first to win a major championship with it. That is why the technique carries his name.

Why Did the Fosbury Flop Work So Well?

The magic lies in physics:

• By arching the back, the jumper’s center of mass stays lower than the bar.
• This means the athlete doesn’t have to “lift” their whole body as high.
• The curved approach also gives rotational momentum, allowing the jumper to twist over the bar effortlessly.

In short:
It’s a biomechanical cheat code.

What Are the 4 Main High-Jump Styles?

Before Fosbury revolutionized the sport, high jumpers used a mix of techniques. Here are the major ones:

1. Scissors Jump

A basic, upright technique; legs move like scissors over the bar; safe but limited height.

2. Western Roll

Athlete goes sideways over the bar; dominant in early 20th century.

3. Straddle Technique

Jumper approaches from one side and goes over face-down, kicking legs individually — very effective until the flop took over.

4. Fosbury Flop

Back-first, arched jump with a curved approach — the modern, superior standard.

Today, almost every elite jumper uses the flop.

Fosbury’s Lasting Legacy

Dick Fosbury didn’t just introduce a new technique — he invented an entire new way of thinking about movement, momentum, and body mechanics.

Within just a few years after 1968:

• Most international athletes switched to the flop.
• The straddle technique disappeared from elite competitions.
• Every world record after the 1970s was achieved using the flop.

He didn’t just win a gold medal —
he changed the sport forever.