Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump The men's high jump field event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place on September 9 & 10. The top jumper of the previous year, world record holder and winner of the Pan American Games, was Pat Matzdorf from the United States. But in a surprise, he failed to make the US team, leaving the field wide open. Jüri Tarmak was the last man to win Olympic gold medal using the straddle technique. The more popular and more widely used Fosbury Flop technique was the most common technique used. Top
Athletics West (Mac Wilkins and shot putter Al Feuerbach signed on shortly thereafter.) Nationally, the Athletics West men performed well in competitions, with Wells winning the marathon in Honolulu, Virgin winning a title in the 5,000-meter event in Knoxville and Malley placing first in the 1,500-meter event in Corvallis, Oregon. The team then traveled to Europe for two months to engage in international-level competition for the first time. Athletics West's final American meet before their Europe trip was the national championship event, where Virgin won the club's first National Championship in the 10,000 meters, they swept the steeplechase, and Feuerbach won the