Dick Fosbury introduced the Fosbury Flop and used it to win the high jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Instead of crossing the bar face-first, Fosbury jumped backward, arching his body over the bar and landing on his shoulders. The unusual technique had developed during his teenage years in Oregon.
At Mexico City in 1968, Fosbury cleared 2.24 metres for the gold medal. His method was initially regarded as unconventional, but it became the dominant high-jumping technique because it lets athletes clear the bar while keeping their centre of mass relatively low.
The technique is often confused with the earlier Western roll and straddle styles. Fosbury did not invent high jumping itself; he transformed the most effective way to approach the bar.