Edwin Moses facts for kids
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Moses in 2008
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| Born | August 31, 1955 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Track and Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Morehouse College Team adidas |
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| Personal best(s) | 110 mH – 13.64 (1978) 400 mH – 47.02 (1983) 400 m – 45.60 (1977) |
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Medal record
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Edwin Corley Moses (born August 31, 1955) is an American former hurdler. He is famous for winning two gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games.
Between 1977 and 1987, Edwin Moses achieved an amazing feat. He won 107 races in a row in the 400m hurdles. This means he didn't lose for nearly ten years! He also broke the world record in his event four times. Besides his incredible running, Moses also helped change rules for Olympic athletes. He worked to make sure athletes could earn money and helped create better drug testing programs. In 2000, he became the first chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This group helps young people through sports.
Contents
Edwin Moses: A Hurdles Champion
Edwin Moses was born in Dayton, Ohio. He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he studied physics and industrial engineering. He also ran for the school's track team. Morehouse didn't have its own track, so Edwin trained at public high schools.
Early Career and Olympic Gold
At first, Moses mostly ran in shorter hurdle races and the 440-yard dash. He had only run one 400m hurdles race before March 1976. But once he focused on it, he got much better very quickly.
Edwin Moses was 6 feet 2 inches tall. His special technique was to take 13 steps between each hurdle. This helped him pull ahead of his rivals in the second half of the race. In 1976, he made the U.S. team for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In his first international competition, Moses won the gold medal. He also set a new world record of 47.63 seconds.
The Unbeaten Streak
In 1977, Moses broke his own world record again with a time of 47.45 seconds. A week later, he started an incredible winning streak. He did not lose another race for nine years, nine months, and nine days!
Moses was chosen for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. However, he could not compete because of the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. He still received a Congressional Gold Medal for his achievements.
At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Moses was chosen to say the Olympic Oath. He won his second Olympic gold medal at these games.
Ending the Streak and Later Wins
On June 4, 1987, American runner Danny Harris beat Moses in a race in Madrid. This ended Moses's amazing streak of 122 wins in a row. During this time, he had broken the world record two more times. He also won three World Cup titles and a World Championship gold medal.
After this loss, Moses won 10 more races in a row. He earned his second World Championship gold medal in Rome in August 1987. Edwin Moses finished his career by winning a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Making Sports Fairer
In 1979, Edwin Moses took a break from his job to focus on running full-time. During this time, he worked hard to change the rules for international and Olympic athletes. He wanted to make sure athletes could earn money without losing their chance to compete in the Olympics.
Thanks to his efforts, the Athletes Trust Fund program was created in 1981. This program allowed athletes to receive money from governments, private groups, and sponsors. This was a big step in helping athletes support themselves while training.
Awards and Recognition
Even though he couldn't compete in the 1980 Olympics, Moses was named the 1980 Track & Field News Athlete of the Year. He also received the first USA Track & Field's Jesse Owens Award in 1981. In 1983, he won the AAU's James E. Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in the U.S.
In 1984, he was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. He also shared the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award with gymnast Mary Lou Retton.
His hometown of Dayton, Ohio, renamed a street "Edwin C. Moses Boulevard" in 1984. In 1999, ESPN ranked him among the 50 Greatest Athletes of the century. In 2018, Moses received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.
Fighting for Clean Sports
Edwin Moses also played a big role in fighting against illegal drugs in sports. He helped create strict drug testing systems for track and field athletes. In 1988, he designed the first random drug testing program that could be done outside of competitions. As a physicist, Moses used his knowledge to help make sports fairer and safer for everyone.
Other Achievements and Contributions
After he stopped running track, Moses tried other sports. In 1990, he competed in a bobsled race in Germany. He and his teammate Brian Shimer won a bronze medal.
In 1994, Moses earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Pepperdine University. He was also inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Since 2000, Moses has been the chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This group uses sports to help young people around the world. Many famous athletes work with the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation to support disadvantaged youth.
In 2008, Moses presented an award to Martin Luther King Jr.'s biographer, Taylor Branch. In 2009, the University of Massachusetts Boston gave him an honorary doctorate degree. This was to recognize his work in keeping Olympic sports fair and using sports for good social change.
The track at Morehouse College's B. T. Harvey Stadium is named the Edwin Moses Track in his honor. He is the only person from that school to win an Olympic gold medal.
Personal Life
Edwin Moses's father was a Tuskegee Airman, a famous group of African-American military pilots. Moses is a vegetarian and believes in helping others and promoting peace.
He has one son, Julian, who was born in 1995 and plays volleyball.
Film
- "Moses – 13 Steps" is a documentary film about Edwin Moses. It was released in 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Edwin Moses para niños
