大象传媒

The next time you are out playing football, stand on the goalline, look up at the crossbar and imagine trying to jump over it.

The crossbar is (or 2.44m if you prefer) off the ground and only one man in the history of the high jump has cleared that height.

achieved the feat in July 1993, with half an inch to spare, to set a new world record of 2.45m that is yet to be bettered.

Sotomayor cleared the height using the now universally recognised flop tecnhique where a jumper attempts to clear the bar head first.

America's is credited with introducing the flop to the world 40 years ago at the 1968 Mexico Olympics when he broke the Games record to win the gold.

Up until then to that point, the , , and were the techniques used by elite jumpers, and Fosbury's flop enthralled spectators around the world.

But there are two other athletes with strong claims to have invented the technique which only became viable with the introduction of a cushioned landing mattress.

Canada's came up with the her own reverse jumping style called the "Brill Bend" in the mid 1960s, but it is generally accepted this was after Fosbury.

And a grainy black and white photo, uncovered by sportswriter Rial Cummings, showed going head-first at a meet in 1963, about the time Fosbury was doing the same.

Fosbury was the one who made the impression on the world stage though and will therefore be forever linked to the flop - and I guess the alliterative title of Fosbury flop helps.

He never managed to break the world record with his revolutionary style though - his compatriot was the first "flop" jumper to achieve that, in 1973.

In fact, Fosbury's Olympic record clearance of 2.24m in 1968, only matched the world record set by Soviet jumper in 1961.

Brumel used the straddle technique and improved his world best to 2.28m in 1963.

Sotomayor, whose career was later blighted by doping scandals, lifted the world record to 2.45m 15 years ago and nobody else has come close to beating it.

How much longer will it stand?