Rather like George Horine with the western roll, Dick Fosbury devel-
oped his high jumping style out of necessity, because the shape of his
garden inhibited the straddle. By 1967, he had jumped 2.10, but his
back-first take-off was still considered a curiosity. After he won the
1968 NCAA Championships, then cleared 2.21 to make the US team
behind Carruthers and the 17 year-old Brown, he became a medal
threat, bracketed with his US teammates and Russians Gavrilov and
Skvortsov.
Thirteen men cleared 2.12 to make the final, with six actually reach-
ing the qualifying level of 2.14. In the final, seven made that height,
with Peckham and Chad’s Ahmed Senoussi unable to repeat their ear-
lier 2.14s. Only Gavrilov and Skvortsov made 2.16, but the three
Americans passed that height. Brown just missed 2.18, while the other
two Americans cleared. Skvortsov also failed. Gavrilov passed 2.18
then cleared 2.20 first time to join Fosbury in the lead. Carruthers also
cleared easily. At 2.22, Fosbury again cleared first time, and took sole
lead when Gavrilov had his first failure of the competition. He then lost
second place to Carruthers who cleared the second time. Fosbury,
whose style had amazed the crowd, did so again when clearing 2.24 on
his final attempt. He then had three average cracks at a world record of
USA
URS
ITA
FRG
AUS
FRA
ESP
CHA
YUG
TCH
SWE
JPN
IND
GRE
GUA
SWI
ISL
PER
MAD
ROM
CAN
TUR
BAH
TWN
SLA
SEN
BEL
NGR
