Edwin Moses, Hurdler SEPTEMBER 12, 1983
On Sept. 11, two-time Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses was in
Derry, Northern Ireland, preparing for a three-day retreat with
100 Catholic and Protestant children designed to bring these
often antagonistic youngsters together. Upon hearing of the
terrorist attacks in the U.S., members of the Laureus World
Sports Academy, which had organized the retreat, discussed
whether to cancel it. Moses, the Laureus chairman, insisted that
the retreat go on. "There were a couple of kids who were
roughnecks, but they came away a lot more peaceful," he says.
"Knowing that you have an opportunity to change their way of
thinking makes this all worth it."
The son of Dayton elementary school educators, Moses, 46, has
never been afraid to try new things. After retiring from track in
1988, a year after his unprecedented streak of 107 victories in
the 400-meter hurdles had ended, he had a brief stint as a
bobsledder in the early '90s and then earned an M.B.A. from
Pepperdine in '94. Moses moved to Atlanta and spent five years at
Salomon Smith Barney managing the finances of high-profile
investors, including George Steinbrenner. After working 60- to
70-hour weeks, however, "I just got burned out," he says. "I
wanted to get back into public speaking and do something
worthwhile."
In November 1999 gold medal decathlete Daley Thompson suggested
Moses join Laureus, a volunteer group of 42 retired world-class
athletes who receive corporate funding to run international
sports programs. Moses has served on the advisory boards of the
IOC's ethics commission and the substance-abuse division of the
U.S. Olympic Committee, but his commitment to Laureus is far more
extensive. Last year he flew enough to circle the earth three
times, and so far in 2002 he has logged 27,000 miles on journeys
to, among other places, South Africa, Australia and China. In
addition to a home in Atlanta, he has a place in Laguna Hills,
Calif., which he stays in frequently in order to visit his
six-year-old son, who lives in Southern California with his
mother.
When he's not globe-trotting, Moses prefers to cook his meals
from scratch. "It's so much healthier, and it helps me stay fit,"
says the 6'2" Moses, who has maintained his weight at the same
180 pounds he carried as a hurdler. If he needs anchovies for a
Caesar salad, he straps on his helmet and backpack and whizzes to
the grocery store on his Mercedes mountain bike, which he takes
almost everywhere he goes. "People tell me all the time I look
like I still go running," he says. "To be honest, I haven't gone
running in years."
--Yi-Wyn Yen
COLOR PHOTO: TREVOR JONES (COVER)
COLOR PHOTO: GREG FOSTER
The son of Dayton elementary school educators, Moses has never
been afraid to try new things.