Dick Fosbury, who was one of the most iconic and revolutionary track and field athletes, has passed away. He was 76.
“It is with a very heavy heart I have to release the news that longtime friend and client Dick Fosbury passed away peacefully in his sleep early Sunday morning after a short bout with a recurrence of lymphoma,” his agent, Ray Schulte said in an Instagram post.
“Dick will be greatly missed by friends and fans from around the world. A true legend, and friend of all!”
Fosbury was known for the creation of the flop technique in the high jump. He started working on the technique in high school and perfected it as time progressed. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, he used the technique to win the Olympic gold medal in high jump, recording a mark of 2.24 meters.
This technique is known as the Fosbury Flop, and it’s the technique used by many jumpers today.
“The world legend is probably used too often,” sprint legend and commentator Michael Johnson said on Twitter. “Dick Fosbury was a true LEGEND! He changed an entire event forever with a technique that looked crazy at the time but the result made it the standard.”
