Track and Field / Mal Florence : Moses May Have Another Hurdle--Phillips

It is seemingly just as difficult to arrange a meeting among the world’s top-ranked 400-meter intermediate hurdlers as it is for a summit meeting of heads of state.

Edwin Moses, Danny Harris and Andre Phillips have competed all over the world in recent years, but not in the same event.

Harris finally bumped into Moses in Madrid last Thursday and ended one of the most impressive streaks in sports history. Harris won, stopping Moses’ streak at 107 wins in final races. That streak began in September of 1977.

Moses, Harris and Phillips haven’t been in the same race since the Olympic trials at the Coliseum in 1984.

It wasn’t possible for the three hurdlers to compete against one another in 1985 because Moses was inactive with an injury.

Nevertheless, there have been veiled accusations that Moses has deliberately ducked Harris and Phillips, which Moses denies.

Bob Kersee, who coaches Phillips as a member of his World Class club track team, said Phillips was denied an opportunity to meet Moses last year in Europe.

“Andre wanted to run against Edwin in three races last year, but the meet promoters said the hurdles field was already filled up,” Kersee said. “For the opportunity to run against Edwin, Andre would have done it for free.”

Kersee wouldn’t say that Moses was behind any scheme to keep Phillips out of the races.

However, a showdown among the big three at The Athletics Congress meet June 23-27 at San Jose seems unavoidable. That meet qualifies athletes for the World Championships Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Rome.

There’s only one catch. Phillips has a stress fracture in his right shin and, although Kersee says he’s ready to compete now, there’s the possibility that his injury might prevent him from running.

“If Andre is in 100% shape, he’ll beat Edwin and Danny and the world record will be broken,” Kersee predicted.

Moses has the world record at 47.02 seconds. The two-time Olympic gold medal winner also has 17 of the top 20 times in the event.

Kersee said that Phillips, who was top ranked in his event in 1985 and 1986, was disappointed that he didn’t get an opportunity in Madrid to become the first hurdler to beat Moses in almost a decade.

Phillips’ last competition with Moses was in 1984 at the U.S Olympic trials when he was suffering from a virus. He finished fourth, failing to make the Olympic team.

He has had bad luck with timing in terms of injury and illness.

“The next two and a half weeks are important,” Kersee said. “We’ll put (Phillips) on the track to see if he’s ready to run.”

Phillips will run in an Olympic development meet Sunday at UC Irvine and then his condition will be reassesed.

The problem for Phillips is that if he doesn’t compete against Moses and Harris at the TAC meet, he won’t be able to qualify for the World Championships. Then, it might be difficult to get a race against either one of them next summer in Europe.

And, if he runs at San Jose while not in the best physical shape, he risks further injury and an opportunity to break the world record.

Kersee said he has the utmost respect for Moses, considering his accomplishments, and reasons that Moses will be more difficult to beat now.

“He’ll be the hungriest one of them all at the TAC meet,” Kersee said. “I would rather have him go into the meet with his streak still intact.”

The streak was put to rest, but not the rivalry.

Harris attended the recent National Collegiate Athletic Assn. track and field meet at Baton Rouge, La., and put the streak-ending win over Moses in perspective.

“I was in the sixth grade when Moses’ streak started,” said Harris, who, at 23, is the youngest of the three hurdlers. Moses is 31; Phillips is 27.

“When we all get together, it will be a race in the low 47s, or a world record,” Harris added.

Moses hit the 10th and last hurdle in the race and was quoted as saying he thought that was the reason he lost.

Said Harris: “I would have won even if he hadn’t hit the 10th hurdle.”

Harris said Moses didn’t say much to him after the race, adding that the famed athlete took the loss “about as well as you can expect.”

As for celebrating, Harris said: “Everybody was so happy for me that I didn’t have to do anything.”

There are still some enduring streaks, among them Carl Lewis’ in the long jump. He hasn’t lost a long jump competition since 1981, a streak of 49 consecutive meets.

UCLA’s runaway victory in the NCAA meet could be the start of a mini dynasty. The Bruins compiled 81 points to 28 for runner-up Texas, the highest winning margin since the inception of the meet in 1921.

Coaches from rival schools ruefully noted that the Bruins will be difficult to beat in the future.

Five athletes, who accounted for 48 of the 81 points, will return next year: Kevin Young, first in the 400-meter hurdles; Danny Everett, second in the 400; Henry Thomas, third in the 200; Mike Marsh, third in the 100 and Dave Wilson, seventh in the hammer throw. Also back will be relay runners Anthony Washington and Raymond Young.

UCLA won the 1,600-meter relay in the collegiate-record time of 3:00.55 with a team composed of Washington, Kevin Young, Thomas and Everett. The 400-meter team of Marsh, Everett, Raymond Young and Thomas ran third.

Moreover, UCLA has potential future scorers in pole vaulter Brandon Richards and weight man Brian Blutreich, who were bothered by injuries this season, and freshman decathlete Joe Duarte, who was ninth in the NCAA meet that scores through eight places.

It was also noted that Everett, Thomas and Marsh are only sophomores.