Photograph by Walter Iooss Jr.

"He's the ultimate specialist, taking one arcane event, the 400-meter hurdles, and refining it, redefining it, crystallizing it, to the point where the race is one with the man; she's the classic generalist, the only female gymnast to make it to all four event finals, none of which she won. But by then, of course, she'd won her gold medal in the All-Around. So Moses and Retton have taught us again that, however much great athletes must be blessed with ability, each champion must be fired in his or her own kiln."

Text by Frank Deford
Issue Date: December 24, 1984

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Edwin Moses won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a new world record with a time of 47.02 seconds. Moses extended his remarkable 10-year streak of 122 consecutive victories in the event.

At age 16, Mary Lou Retton became the first U.S. female to score a perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics. Retton won medals in the team, vault, floor exercise, and uneven bars competitions and also earned the all-around gold.