Moses 113th straight win

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 27

Moses 113th straight win

NZPA-Reuter Paris Majestic Edwin Moses reeled off his 113th straight victory in the 400 metres hurdles, and Said Aouita made a winning return from injury at Paris yesterday. The double Olympic champion subdued the challenge of Senegal’s Amadou Dia Ba, and won in the year’s fastest time of 47.66 s to extend a record stretching back to August, 1977, the date of his last defeat.

The peerless American strode clear with his customary unhurried power, bounding home with nearly 0.5 s to spare ahead of Dia Ba.

Aouita, Morocco’s Olympic 5000 metres champion, celebrated his track return after gashing his ankle in an Oslo 10,000 metres on July 5 with an

exciting win in the 3000 metres.

He had to fight hard, however, to contain the challenge of the American, Terry Brahm, on a fiercely contested final lap.

Hopes of a world record to add to his 1500 and 5000 marks died early but Aouita was pleased with his race. The American, Calvin Smith, the 100 metres world record holder, was also happy with a smooth victory in the 200 metres, the distance at which he won the world championship crown in Helsinki in 1983.

Smith purred through fluently to win in a Jean Bouin Stadium record of 20.29, a comfortable 0.41 s clear of the second-placed Desai Williams, of Canada.