How One Man Changed the High Jump Forever The Olympics on the Record

[Quixote1818]

[DURHAM D]

1. I remember this well.

I think this is interesting from his wiki page -

Political career

In fall 2014, Fosbury ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Representative Steve Miller.[20][21] Miller won the election.[22]

In January 2019, Fosbury succeeded Larry Schoen as Blaine County Commissioner.

[hvn_nbr_2]

2. Thanks for that. Very interesting.

I've paid so little attention to track and field since then that I didn't even know his technique had become standard.

[Harker]

3. The flop was a big hit. n/t

[pfitz59]

4. The 1968 US Olympic training camp was up on Echo Summit above Lake Tahoe.

At altitude because Mexico City is so high. My mom took us kids up to watch the athletes train. I remember Fosbury, and the stir he caused. Was a great break for an otherwise horrific year.

[twodogsbarking]

5. He was laughed at. Jim Beamon broke the long jump record by 21 inches

and the record stood until 1991. As you stated it was a rough year. You must have had a great mother.

[Quixote1818]

6. Looks like black athletes were putting up with the same racism then for protests as Colin Kaepernick

Asshole who was okay with Nazi salutes was upset with black power signs.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. I High Jumped From 7th Grade Through HS

Everybody did the western roll, even through freshman year. (Being a contrarian, I did eastern roll. Felt more efficient & naturalto me.)
But organically, kids like me started switching to the flop.
By my junior year of HS (my final year before college), 3/4ths of the guys that made state were flopping.
Within 4 or 5 years, the roll method was becoming obsolete. By the late 70s, almost nobody was jumping any other way. About the only holdouts were guys 6'7" or taller. And, they'd get beat.
It was a brilliant application of physics and kinesiology and changed the event, not just forever, but fast!