REFLECTIONS OF THE L.A. GAMES : Four Who Played Important Roles in 1984 Olympics Reminisce on the Magical Moments They Encountered : AN AMERICAN ATHLETE : Saying Oath Big Honor for Edwin Moses

Someone had hinted about a week before the 1984 Olympics that I might either carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies or say the Olympic oath for the athletes, and I didn’t want to carry the flag because I thought it would wear me out.

Aside from the competition, the highlight was being chosen to say the oath. In addition to being prepared for the competition, I had to memorize these 44 or 46 words.

I must have been the only one in the stadium who didn’t know the words were printed on the scoreboard. I could have just turned to the left and seen it, but I wanted to do it by heart. I thought it would have been better to do it that way, that that’s the way it should have been done.

As I look back, I probably could have been better prepared for the competition. But it was very difficult to schedule training time because of all the commitments--the meetings with sponsors, the media and such. I think the time (47.75 seconds) was and is the slowest (major) international competition of my career.

The first thing that came to mind after winning the gold was that it’s all over now. There is so much stress involved in an Olympic Games, and not only in track and field, but every sport. I was just glad to have it all over. I couldn’t even stay in the (Olympic) Village because athletes from all over the world mobbed me. Every time I went to eat or went to the United States area, it took me 30 minutes to walk there instead of the 5 or 10 minutes it took most everyone else. The other athletes wanted autographs or to take pictures with me.

The pressure of the streak had been building from 1983. It was something that was definitely on the minds of people. Aside from wanting to win the gold medal, I certainly did not want to have the streak broken in that three-day competition. It was something else most other athletes didn’t have to think about.

I dedicated the race to my father, who passed on in December of 1983. After the race, it came into my mind and I talked to my wife and mother about it briefly. But after that, everything happened so fast, like going to doping control and there was a protest on the race and then the victory ceremony. It was like a whirlwind tour.

Later, I had to have five police officers to help me get out of the stadium. There must have been 200 people following me from the Coliseum to the parking lot.

I don’t mind signing autographs, but when you end up with Bic marks all over your body from people thrusting pens at you, it gets a little maddening.

I had tickets to all the other events, but I was really afraid to go. Not necessarily for my safety, but for all the commotion it would cause for everybody.

That was more or less my Olympics. I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but as an athlete the main thing is my competition, so all my feelings are positive.