Faster Higher Smarter: Bright Ideas That Transformed Sports

Faster Higher Smarter: Bright Ideas That Transformed Sports — page 3
Chapter 1 HIGH JUMP THE FOSBURY FLOP Summer Olympics Mexico City October 1968 An energetic crowd turns out to watch the final day of track and field Although they don’t know it yet they are in for a wild ride The Olympic Committee declares that the high jump final will start at a height of 6 feet 6 inches This is quite low for an international competition and the decision guarantees the crowd a long event plenty of time as it turns out to notice the guy with the awkward-looking style Instead of running straight toward the bar and jumping over sideways like everyone else this athlete runs in a curve and ends up alongside the bar Then he jumps over backwards with his head first landing on his shoulders And that isn’t all before his run he rocks from one foot to the other forward and back forward and back for what seems like forever And why is he wearing one black shoe and one white At first the crowd laughs whenever he takes his turn but before long the laughs turn to cheers and the crowd knows the strange competitor’s name Dick Fosbury In high jump three failures in a row and you’re out By the fifth round of this competition five of the 13 finalists are gone and Fosbury is one of only two jumpers who haven’t missed a single jump Rounds six through Dick Fosbury on his way to a gold medal in the Mexico City Olympics 6