Best at San Diego, Foster Wants to Be Best Ever

Greg Foster is on his own now.

For years he competed against Renaldo Nehemiah for supremacy in the high hurdles. Even after Nehemiah gave up track for a career in pro football, Foster was pitted against the ghost of his former nemesis.

But that’s behind him, according to Foster, who won both the 50- and 60-yard hurdles in Friday night’s Michelob Invitational.

Foster is running to secure his place in history.

And he honestly believes he should be considered the finest hurdler ever.

“I know I have been the most consistent ever,” he said after taking the 50 in 6.01 seconds and the 60 in a meet-record time of 7.01.

“I have never been ranked lower than second in the world since 1977, and I have run more fast times than anyone. Nehemiah got a lot of recognition because of his outdoor record, but that’s the only time of his that I haven’t beaten.”

Foster has been plagued by the flu in recent weeks, but it didn’t appear to slow him Friday night.

He said he had a stuffy nose after sleeping in an air-conditioned room. He scored a double victory despite having warmed up too soon and feeling tight in the 50, Foster said.

He was able to stay loose during the 30-minute break between races and came back with a meet record.

Foster, a former UCLA standout, might have achieved his due if he had not been upset by Roger Kingdom in the 1984 Olympics.

“I beat myself,” he said. “I’ve run five races since then and he hasn’t beaten me yet.”

Foster said he hasn’t looked back at his Olympic upset. “I blew it at the start, not at the end of the race, as a lot of people think,” he said, “but I haven’t thought much about it. I put it out of mind about two days after the Games.”

Foster said he doesn’t think he has reached his peak yet.

“I’m still a couple of years away,” he said. “I think I have been a world-class hurdler for 12 years now, and I am still improving.”

One area of improvement is his attitude toward defeat.

“I don’t worry about it as much as I used to,” he said. “I used to get very upset and it would hurt me mentally and physically. But not anymore.”

Foster is more vulnerable now in one sense. Because he is chasing world records, he said it is easier to make mistakes, so his concentration level must remain high.

Foster plans to take a break from outdoor competition in 1986 before beginning to focus on the 1988 Olympics. He fears a case of burnout if he doesn’t allow himself a break from competition.

In the meantime, he hopes to parlay his strong indoor form into a world outdoor record this year.

He said the key is maintaining his consistently strong start. As long as he gets out of the blocks well, he is confident the records will come.