Who Is Zola Budd?

Answer:

Zola Pieterse, better known by her maiden name of Zola Budd (born May 26, 1966 in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa), is a former Olympic track and field competitor who, in less than three years, twice broke the world record in the women's 5000 metres, and twice was the women's winner at the World Cross Country Championships. Budd's career was unusual in that she mainly trained and raced barefoot.

Budd achieved fame in 1984, at the age of 17, when she broke the women's 5000 metre world record with a time of 15:01.83. Since her performance took place in South Africa, then excluded from international athletics competition because of its apartheid policy, the International Amateur Athletic Federation refused to ratify Budd's time as an official world record.

In 1985 she claimed the world record officially while representing Great Britain, clocking 14:48.07.

1984 Olympic 3000 metres

Media billed the race as a duel between Budd and American world champion Mary Decker, few reporting that a third contestant, Romanian Maricica Puica, had set the fastest time that year.

Decker set a fast pace from the gun with Budd in close pursuit followed by Puica and Britain's Wendy Smith-Sly. When the pace slowed, just past the midway point, Budd took the lead on the straight and ran wide of the pack around the turn. Setting the pace she took herself, Decker, Smith-Sly and Puica clear of the pack. She seemed to assume control of the race coming out of the turn on the track at 1700 metres. Half a stride behind Budd, on the inside, Mary Decker's right thigh contacted Budd's left foot, knocking Budd slightly off balance. Decker maintained her close position and again clipped Budd, striking the leader's calf with her right shoe as Budd moved towards the inside. A third collision followed and Decker stumbled and fell onto the infield. Her left hip injured, she was unable to resume the race. (See video clip below.)

Although Budd continued to lead for a while, she faded, finishing 7th amid a resounding chorus of boos. Her finishing time of 8 m. 48 s. was well outside her best of 8 m. 37 s. Budd tried to apologize to Decker in the tunnel after the race, but Decker did not respond in the same spirit, and replied, “Don’t bother!” Puica took gold, with Sly in second, and Canada's Lynn Williams the bronze.

Although Budd was booed by the crowd, an IAAF jury found that she was not responsible for the collision. Decker said many years after the event: “The reason I fell, some people think she tripped me deliberately. I happen to know that wasn’t the case at all. The reason I fell is because I am and was very inexperienced in running in a pack.”