Fosbury flop

It was popularized and perfected by American athlete Dick Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention.

[1] The flop became the dominant style of the event; before Fosbury, most elite jumpers used the straddle technique, Western roll, Eastern cut-off, or scissors jump to clear the bar.

The approach (or run-up) in the Fosbury flop is characterized by (at least) the final four or five steps being run in a curve, allowing the athlete to lean in to the turn, away from the bar.

Additionally, on take-off, the sudden move from inward lean to outwards produces a rotation of the jumper's body along the bar's axis, aiding clearance.

[citation needed] Predominantly, athletes using the flop use a J shaped approach, where the first three-to-five strides head in a straight line at ninety degrees to the bar, with the final four-to-five being run in a curve (noted above).