Bounding over the 10 three-foot hurdles, taking an unprecedented 13 steps between hurdles instead of the usual 14, he was a remarkable combination of speed, grace and stamina. For much of his career, Moses was not appreciated by sports fans, who viewed him, especially in his early years of success, as sullen and self-contained, a hurdling automaton. Not until years later would he be viewed as a respected statesman. Moses also made winning look so easy. People either think that I'm a freak or that the other guys aren't any good.
Extraordinary talent is obvious.
We're in the rarefied presence of an immortal here. Edwin's a crowd unto himself. With both his parents being educators, Moses took academics more seriously than most youngsters, though he also competed in sports. When his high school basketball coach cut him from the team and the football coach kicked him out for fighting, Moses turned to track and gymnastics. It's just a matter of getting to the finish line first.