Lucky necklace could help Moses

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 20

Lucky necklace could help Moses

NZPA-Reuter Seoul Myrella Moses, the wife of the Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion, Ed Moses, will not trust simply in her husband’s athletic prowess when he defends his Olympic title. She said she would wear a necklace of multicoloured trinkets gathered over their years together to summon good spirits to watch over the defending champion. “Anything that’s brought us luck over the

years I’ve put together on a necklace,” she said as her 33-year-old husband eased his way over a few flights of hurdles at Seoul’s Olympic stadium. "It’s got heavier and heavier but I don’t care if I’m bent double. It’s a good luck necklace and I’ll still wear it. I want to have the good spirits hanging over him Pt all times.” Myrella Moses said she was determined to cope with the pressure and ex-

citement of Moses’ race after breaking down in tears amid the emotion of his triumph in Los Angeles four years ago. “I’m here to enjoy this one. Be happy — that’s my motto now,” she said. Moses’ gentle routine in the Olympic stadium took him less than an hour. He begins his quest for an unprecedented third title in the opening day of athletics competition today. If he is successful in

Sunday’s final he will be the first man to retain the gold since fellow-Ameri-can Glenn Davies at the 1960 Games in Tokyo. Moses has looked in superlative form all season and said he felt he was technically and physically better than ever. He set his world record of 47.02 seconds five years ago and went unbeaten for 10 years and more than 100 races until June last year.