Edwin Moses Quotations

Stretching was a major part of my preparation.

My concentration level blocks out everything. Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training and concentrate in a meet.

I went to Moorehouse College. There was no track and field there.

The joint lubrication was not what it was when I was competing, and I decided that not having arthritis or rheumatism for the rest of my life was a lot more important to me than returning to the track.

Lots of people let it go by and never accomplish what they want. I just wanted to see what I could do.

I always got my work done before playing.

I was always a mean and lean athlete - not tall - not large.

I used biomechanics to save time when I was competing.

I never struggled with injury problems because of my preparation - in particular my stretching.

In particular, I studied German and Russian biomechanics.

Both parents supported my becoming a world class athlete.

I always had to keep improving my skills in order to remain competitive and keep winning.

I wanted to go to medical school. But, I never got a college scholarship.

My father was also a principal of a school and mother was a curriculum advisor. Both were educators.

One of my major competitors was Harold Smith. Smith beat me in 1977. I was loafing during that competition.

I didn't get an athletics scholarship at a major school.

I was always more of an academic than a jock.

In digital world, sport provides opportunity to bring people together.

I don't really see the hurdles. I sense them like a memory.

My father was an all-American football player.

I ran my first race the end of March, 1976. And less than four months later I was Olympic champion. But I had the background. It's not like I just ran one day and all of a sudden became a champion. It was a lot of work.

Social ills: teenage pregnancy, gangs, children with behavioral problems. All these things can be alleviated if kids got more physical activity for starters.

I overcame size with mechanics.

You have to have already convinced yourself that you are going to win no matter what other influences are.

No one runs fast without an extreme amount of training. Like today, you see kids walking around dribbling a basketball. I had a bag with track shoes in it, and I used to go to the track every day.

There are so many people afraid of a task. They get so overwhelmed by the obstacles in front of them that they shy away from reaching beyond a position of safety.

Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training and concentrate in a meet.

No one asked an artist who was great in his 20s and 30s why he was still painting in his 40s and 50s,

Maybe he could have just been plain tired, burned out. Lane 1 will do that to you.

I think with this whole influx into immediacy -- everyone is short term in their outlook. I made a tremendous commitment by not being able to go to medical school and not finishing all that I wanted to do in my engineering career. So I put everything into track and field. And just the passion I have for the sport, I never imagined I would be as good as I was. Once I realized I was that great, I put everything into maintaining it.

My main problem is going to be cardiovascular training and preventing injuries,

I think most of it is really mental, because I ran against a lot of individuals who were probably more physically talented. But I was able to outsmart them and out-think them and out-prepare them.

A lot of the guys now are 400/200 type of runners. I don't think, being a 400-meter runner, you can sustain long-term performance in the event with just speed type of training. No one has ever been able to do it. So I think it is harder for them to stay in condition year round, especially for big meets, end-of-season major competitions and things.

If I'm able to run 49 seconds, I'll be really blessed. 'Cause it is really hard on the body. I'm not gonna even pretend that I can be at that level, 'cause I'm not gonna hurt myself doing this. I'm gonna make it fun.