1976 – In his first international competition, Edwin Moses, a 20-year-old senior at Morehouse College in Atlanta, set a world record of 47.64 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles as he won the gold medal at the Montreal Olympics. The former record holder, John Akii-Bua of Uganda, was a no-show because African countries boycotted the Games over apartheid in South Africa.
Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) and set the world record in his event four times. It was exactly nine years nine months and nine days to be exact, and is widely regarded as one of the mostimpressive streaks in sports history.
"In an art gallery, do we stand around talking about Van Gogh? Extraordinary talent is obvious. We're in the rarefied presence of an immortal here. Edwin's a crowd unto himself." – Leroy Walker, U.S. Track & Field coach
