Two-time gold medalist Edwin Moses owns one of the most remarkable streaks in sports -- from 1977 to 1987, Moses won 122 consecutive 400-meter hurdles races, including 107 finals. The Morehouse grad, 54, lives in Brookhaven and keeps a busy schedule. As chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, an international organization counting many of the world's greatest athletes as members, Moses' travels in April alone took him to South Africa, Australia and Germany. Moses spoke this week with the AJC about his life, past and present. Answers were edited for length.
Q: What sort of work are you doing with the Laureus Foundation?
A: I've been the chairman for the last 10 years. I've just been re-elected for a third term. We use sport as a tool for social change. We started with six projects in four countries and have grown to 78 projects in 37, 38 countries now. We have many different issues that we deal with, kids from 3, 4 years old all the way up to young adults in their 20s, going from HIV to teenage pregnancy to kids that are involved in gangs to boy soldiers to children living in Cambodia in minefields.
I just got back from South Africa, where went for a visit with [Formula One world champion] Lewis Hamilton with kids from Sri Lanka and South Africa in their 20s who have been involved in a project.
Q: Where might people see you around town?
A: Probably nowhere. I generally stay at home when I'm here because I work at the house. I cook every day and I spend most of my time at home. People I haven't seen in awhile since I retired from Robinson-Humphrey Smith Barney [where he was a broker], they think I've left town. They always ask me, ‘How long are you in town?' I keep a very low profile.
Q: What was it like being the very best in the world at what you did?
A: It was a lifestyle. Every day I enjoyed what I was doing tremendously. You go to bed thinking about it and wake up thinking about it. I trained two, three times a day because I didn't have any shortcuts I could take.
I enjoyed living like that, taking your time, being patient and pressing the envelope at the same time. ... I just couldn't imagine going out there and trying to do that [now]. I appreciate the opportunities I had to get myself in that condition and be a performer who everyone loved to see. It doesn't happen to many people, but it didn't happen automatically, I can tell you that.
Q: Will there be a day when drug testers have the upper hand on cheaters?
A: I think drug testing, the whole system, and I'm talking about testing education, the efforts that the federations are putting in to make athletes available (for testing) and the adjudication is working nicely. It's taken 20 years for people to understand the impact that performance-enhancing drugs had on sport. It's getting to the point now where there aren't too many heads in the sand. ...
Those that are willing to invest a lot to get around the rules, they have things that they can do that may or may not work. They're in a position where they're seriously rolling the dice. It used to be there were certain drugs that you knew weren't tested for. With growth hormone, everyone knew there was no test. There's technology to test for it now. It's not as easy as it used to be.
Q: You have performed in front of thousands, been around the world and met a lot of dignitaries. What makes you nervous?
A: I think I get nervous when you go through life and, as many places as I've traveled around, being around situations that would make everyone nervous. For example, I was traveling in Guinea on behalf of the Chicago [Olympic] bid committee last summer. I was there four days before they had the shootings after the coup [in 2008]. I knew when I got there that things were simmering.
When I left, I saw some things, like people getting beat up in the streets, as I was going to the airport. I've never been so happy to get on an airplane in my life. Four days after I left, the riot broke out in the stadium, exactly where I had that meeting. ... I've never been so happy to get on an airplane and get in my seat, and I wasn't really happy until the plane actually took off.
Q: Who's the greatest Olympian of all-time?
A: I would have to put Jesse Owens in there, in terms of reputation, and then you have some modern-day Olympians who have done well like Steve Redgrave from Great Britain. [Redgrave won a gold medal in rowing in five consecutive Olympiads, from 1984 to 2000.] Five gold medals -- not too many people have done that. Those, I think, are the top two of all-time.
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