Moses Turns In Season Best at UCI

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses turned in his best time of the season while winning the 400-meter hurdles in 48.27 seconds Sunday at the Southern California TAC Championships at UC Irvine.

Moses, who has the world record in the event (47.02), looked controlled and relaxed as he improved his previous season best of 48.38.

Moses was never really challenged in the race, outrunning second-place finisher Dray Hargrove of the Mega Pro International Track Club by more three seconds.

“I could’ve run a lot harder and a lot faster,” Moses said. “I was mainly trying to work on technique.”

Only UCLA’s Kevin Young has a faster time in the world this year. Young recorded a 47.85 in winning the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. title at Eugene, Ore., June 5.

Moses, who lives in Newport Beach and trains at the Irvine track, said: “I’m happy about my race, especially since I did it just five minutes away from home, instead of 5,000 miles away.

“I’ve been practicing here (at Irvine) for seven years, but this is the first time I’ve ever actually raced here.”

In the women’s shotput, Bonnie Dasse of Coast Athletics won with 62-feet 5 3/4 inches. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, world heptathlon record holder, finished second, with a career-best 55-3.

In the women’s 100 meters, UCLA’s Gail Devers and Alice Brown of the Stars & Stripes Track Club both ran 11.21, but Devers was declared the winner in the photo finish.

Valerie Brisco, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in both the 200 and 400 meters, was third at 11.30.

Brisco came back later in the afternoon to win the 200 in 22.75.

In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Pam Page of the Los Angeles Track Club won in 13.37.

Roy Martin of the World Class Track Club won the men’s 200 meters in 20.69.

Kim Gallagher, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist at 800 meters, won that event in 2:02.87. Buffy Rabbitt of UC Irvine was third in 2:09.10, a career best by almost a second.