Introduced to the world by American jumper Dick Fosbury at the 1968 Olympics, the "Fosbury Flop" revolutionized the high jump and made greater heights suddenly attainable.

Jumpers take off powerfully about a metre from the bar, launch their bodies into the air and twist while climbing upwards until they face away from the bar. The back is arched around the bar with the feet kicked upwards at the last instant so that the heels clear the bar. The overall effect is more like watching someone quickly slither around the bar rather than jumping over it.

"Raw power will take you very high," says former decathlete Michael Smith. "But the technical aspects will take you higher, and when you combine the two, that's great.

"Technique is what keeps the bar on, because all the power is what gets you off the ground. When you're relaxed and smooth, of course, it works better, but technique and timing can make a difference of 10 centimetres on any given day, and that can win or lose the competition."