Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump


The men's high jump was one of four men's jumping events on the Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics program in Mexico City. Dick Fosbury won by using a backward jumping style that was called the Fosbury Flop. This was the unveiling of the new style on the world stage. The style completely revolutionized the sport. By the mid 1970s and ever since, virtually all of the top competitors were using the new style.
At 2.18 metres, high school 'phenomena', Reynaldo Brown and Valery Skvortsov topped out leaving the three medalists Valentin Gavrilov, Ed Caruthers and Richard Fosbury. The medalists were all clean at 2.20 metres. Fosbury took the lead by remaining clean at 2.22 metres, Caruthers needing a second attempt. Garilov couldn't make it. Richard Fosbury established his win by jumping over 2.24 metres on his last attempt, while Caruthers brushed his last attempt off.

Medalists

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

Results

Qualifying

RankNameNationalityMarkNotes
1Dick Fosbury2.14Q
2Ed Caruthers2.14Q
3Valeriy Skvortsov2.14Q
4Ahmed Senoussi2.14Q
5Giacomo Crosa2.14Q
6Lawrie Peckham2.14Q
7Miodrag Todosijević2.12Q
8Ingomar Sieghart2.12Q
9Reynaldo Brown2.12Q
10Valentin Gavrilov2.12Q
11Luis María Garriga2.12Q
12Robert Sainte-Rose2.12Q
13Gunther Spielvogel2.12Q
14Thomas Zacharias2.09
15Kuniyoshi Sugioka2.09
16Viktor Bolshov2.09
17Bhim Singh2.09
18Henry Elliott2.09
19Jaroslav Alexa2.09
20Ioannis Kousoulas2.09
21Mahamat Idriss2.06
22Tony Sneazwell2.06
23Teodoro Palacios2.06
24Kenneth Lundmark2.06
25Rudolf Hübner2.06
26Peter Boyce2.06
27Jón Ólafsson2.06
28Michel Portmann2.06
29Fernando Abugattas2.03
30Fernand Tovondray2.03
31Thomas Wieser2.03
32Csaba Dosa2.03
33Wilf Wedmann2.00
34Polde Milek2.00
35Roberto Abugattas2.00
36Anthony Balfour1.95
37Hong Son-long1.95
38Nurullah Candan1.95
39Marconi Turay1.90

Final

Held on October 20, 1968
Each jumper again had three attempts at each height, with the bar starting at 2.00 metres. Three jumpers were unable to perform as well as they had in the qualification.
Key: o = clear ; p = pass; x = fail; DNS = did not start
PlaceAthleteNationBest mark2.002.032.062.092.122.142.162.182.202.222.242.29
1Dick Fosbury2.24 metres OR-O-O-O-OOOXXOXXX
2Ed Caruthers2.22 metres---O-XXO-XXOOXOXXX
3Valentin Gavrilov2.20 metresOOOOOOO-OXXX
4Valery Skvortsov2.16 metres-OXOOXXOOXXOXXX
5Reynaldo Brown2.14 metres-O-O-O-XXX
6Giacomo Crosa2.14 metresO-XOOOOXXX
7Gunther Spielvogel2.14 metres--OOXXOXOXXX
8Lawrie Peckham2.12 metres-OOOXOXXX
9Robert Sainte-Rose2.09 metresO-OOXXX
Ingomar Sieghart2.09 metres-OOOXXX
11Luis María Garriga2.09 metresOOOXXOXXX
12Ahmed Senoussi2.09 metres--XOXXOXXX
13Miodrag Todosijević2.06 metresO-OXXX
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