Dick Fosbury is described in the public record as American high jumper (1947–2023).
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Take the IQ test →Richard Douglas Fosbury (March 6, 1947 – March 12, 2023) was an American high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics, revolutionizing the high jump event with a "back-first" technique now known as the Fosbury flop. His method was to sprint diagonally towards the bar, then curve and leap backward over it, which gave him a much lower center of mass in flight than traditional techniques. Debbie Brill was developing her similar "Brill Bend" around the same time. This approach has seen nearly universal adoption since Fosbury's performance in Mexico. Though he never returned to the Olympics, Fosbury continued to be involved in athletics after retirement and served on the executive board of the World Olympians Association. In 2014, Fosbury challenged Steve Miller for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives, but was unsuccessful.
Dick Fosbury is recorded among the figures by whom historic sport is remembered, and the surviving account of that career is the basis on which the reputation rests.
The codified rules of most modern sports were written between 1850 and 1900, so the first great champions were competing while the games themselves were still being defined.
