Dick Fosbury, Olympic champion at the 1968 Mexico Games and inventor of the technique on his back for the high jump, died this Sunday at the age of 76, a victim of lymphoma after a long fight against the disease. His death was confirmed a day later, this Monday by the agent ray schulte via Instagram.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that my longtime friend and client Dick Fosbury passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday morning after a brief relapse of lymphoma,” he explained along with a photomontage of the former athlete.
Dick (Portland, 1947) was the inventor of the so-called ‘Fosbury Flop’a controversial jumping technique that led him to win Olympic gold at the 1968 Mexico Games. Despite the criticism, his triumph ended up convincing the rest of the athletes, and most implemented it in the following editions until it became the only one used.
The invention of this technique allowed Fosbury to win a victory that he could never repeat, because it was precisely the popularization of it among its rivals the one that made it impossible for him to qualify for the Games again. Thus, he soon opted for retirement to pursue a career as a civil engineer away from the world of sports.
