Muir’s Moore Withdraws

The high school running career of Pasadena Muir High sprinter Obea Moore is over.

Moore, the two-time defending state boys’ 400-meter champion and defending world junior 400 champion, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury for two months, withdrew from the 400 Saturday at the Southern Section track and field finals at Cerritos College.

Moore, the defending state and U.S. junior champion in the 200 as well, decided not to compete just minutes before the start of the 400.

The top nine qualifiers in each event will advance to the Southern Section Masters meet next Friday night.

“I felt it tighten up while I was warming up and I didn’t want to risk injuring it again,” said Moore, who has run the fourth-fastest prep 400 ever (45.14 in 1995). “You can only injure a muscle so many times before it stops working for good. I couldn’t take that chance.”

Moore, who could have been the first athlete to win three consecutive state 400 titles, said he didn’t want to risk missing the Junior Nationals (ages 19 and under) in Illinois in four weeks.

“I think I’ve done enough,” said Moore, who signed with USC, but needs a qualifying score in the Scholastic Assessment Test to receive a scholarship. “I think I’ve helped the crowd out and given them their money’s worth. . . . This is big, but there’s bigger stuff than this.

“I had to make the decision. It could have ruined the rest of my career.”

In Moore’s absence, Sultan McCullough played a bigger role, anchoring Muir’s 400 and 1,600 relay teams to victories and winning impressively in the 100 and 200 as the Mustangs captured their fifth consecutive boys’ Division I team title.

McCullough ran a wind-aided 10.24 in the 100 and later achieved the fourth-fastest 200 (20.62) in state history when the wind registered a legal 1.3 meters per second.

Long Beach Poly captured its fifth Division I girls’ team title.

Angela Williams of Chino ran 10.98 seconds in the girls’ 100, but the time was wind-aided.

Playa Del Rey St. Bernard ran the fastest girls’ 400 relay (45.37) in the nation this year and the ninth fastest ever.