Those who have influenced High Jump as a Sport

Up until the the late 1960’s, High Jump was an event where the contest ran up to the bar and jumped over it in a seated position. The legs moved in a scissor motion; thus, gaining the name the scissor. In 1968 this changed when Dick Fosbury competed in the Olympics based in Mexico. Fosbury had designed a new technique in which the jumper would approach the bar from an angle before pivoting and taking off with his back to the bar. He would then arch his back and land on his shoulders. That year, he went on to win the Gold medal and single handedly changed high jump permanently. Fast forward to four years later, the 1972 Olympics, and over half the contests are using Fosbury’s flop method. Interestingly enough, Fosbury did not qualify for the Olympics that year; instead, becoming an engineer. In the 2000’s, Derek Drouin started his claim to fame. He became internationally recognized in 2016 during the Rio Olympics. Drouin is a Canadian high jumper born out of Ontario. He went on to win gold, being the first Canadian to do so in almost a century. Not just that though, he was the first ever Canadian to win gold using Fosbury’s flop. 60 years after Fosbury invented the flop it is still the predominant technique, will this change as the sport continues to grow and evolve?

Sources:

The diffident American who pioneered the “Fosbury flop”. (2023, March 25). The Week, 42. https://link-gale-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A743957272/GPS?u=43dcbs&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=896c6681 

 Gatehouse, J. (2016, August 29). One giant leap: after winning a bronze medal four years ago, Derek Drouin came to Rio to win gold, and nothing less. Maclean’s, 129(34), 46. https://link-gale-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A466297728/GPS?u=43dcbs&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=97afe547