He went down in history for the "Fosbury Flop", the technique - which not surprisingly bears his name - with which the athlete climbs over the bar by turning the body backwards and falling on his back (hence the definition of "back jump").
Richard Douglas Fosbury, known as Dick, American champion who won gold at the 76 Mexico City Olympics, died in Portland at the age of 1968. To give the news, Ray Schulte, his former manager. Fosbury, who had lymphoma, died in his sleep.
GettyImages
Dick Fosbury, 1961
With his revolutionary technique, Fosbury first gained national attention, winning the NCAA championship and the Olympic Games qualifying trials, and later on world prominence by winning the gold medal in Mexico City and setting a new Olympic record with a measurement of 2.24 meters.
Fosbury retired in 1969 and did not participate in the Olympic Games in Munich. In 1981 he was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
GettyImages
Dick Fosbury, 2012