Helene Elliott, the world-class Olympics writer for the Los Angeles Times, reported March 21 that Edwin Moses has called off his 400-meter hurdles comeback.
The Moses news was buried beneath a longer item on Michelle Kwan. The full story is at: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olycol21mar21,1,6889328.column?coll=la-headlines-sports Here's the Moses segment: Clearing New Hurdles At 48, Edwin Moses is as driven as when he won 107 consecutive 400-meter hurdles finals and gold at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. And after stepping up his training last summer with a goal of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials, he's probably as fit as he was at Montreal, Los Angeles and his bronze-medal finale at Seoul in 1988. "I could probably run the 100-meter hurdles competitively today," he said. But his plans to compete in his signature race were derailed by partially torn cartilage in his right knee, an old injury that hadn't bothered him for years. Unable to put in the 1,200 miles of running he figured he'd need, he ended his comeback. Yet, the attempt was anything but a failure. "I wasn't trying to come back and run against Felix Sanchez," he said, referring to the two-time world champion. "My whole goal was to prove sport can be used in positive ways, for social change." His aim was to publicize the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which finances and promotes programs that use sports to tackle social issues such as HIV, landmines, homelessness and the plight of children in war-torn nations. Moses and athletes from various sports visit countries around the world to add a personal touch that often has great impact. He estimated that he racked up 400,000 air miles and visited 26 or 27 countries last year. The U.S. Sport for Good Foundation raised $1 million at a Beverly Hills gala last week. "We don't reinvent the wheel. We don't build facilities. We find someone already dealing with these problems and we help," said Moses, who lives in Orange County and Atlanta. "I think we've accomplished a lot, but we want to do more. I think I've motivated a lot of athletes on the [Laureus] academy. It's about motivating people, trying to do things other people think are impossible." Me again: Thanks to Steve Nearman for pointing me to the correct source. Too bad for Edwin, but as Courtland Gray said: Maybe he didn't have respect enough for his aging body and its weaknesses. I also hope Edwin has a little more respect for those his age (and older) who are still in the game. Ken Stone http://www.masterstrack.com
