Zola Budd

Zola Pieterse

Personal information
Nationality	South African
Born	(1966-05-26) 26 May 1966 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa
Sport
Sport	Middle-distance running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1500 m: 3:59.96 1 Mile: 4:17.57 3000 m: 8:28.83 5000 m: 14:48.07
Medal record Women's Cross Country Representing Great Britain World Championships 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Individual Long Race Women 1986 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Individual Long Race Women

Zola Pieterse (born Zola Budd, 26 May 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. Her achievements on the track were often overshadowed by the political controversy she aroused during her short stay in the United Kingdom.

Women's 5000 metres world record

Budd achieved fame in 1984, at the age of 17, when she broke the women's 5000 metres 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.

Arrival in Britain

The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, persuaded Budd's father to encourage her to apply for British citizenship, on the grounds that her grandfather was British, to circumvent the international sporting boycott of South Africa so that she could compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. With a strong push from the Daily Mail, British citizenship was granted in short order and she moved to Guildford. Her application and arrival was controversial due to her acquiring a passport under preferential circumstances. Groups supporting the abolition of apartheid campaigned vociferously and effectively to highlight the special treatment she received; other applicants had to wait sometimes years to be granted citizenship, if at all.

Shortly afterwards Budd was forced to pull out of a 1,500 metre race in Crawley, Sussex, when the town council withdrew their invitation at short notice. The race was part of the inaugural event for the town's new Bewbush Leisure Centre and Mayor Alf Pegler said members of the council had expressed misgivings that the local significance of the event would be overshadowed by "political connotations and anti-apartheid demonstrators".

She ran her first competitive race on the cinder track at Central Park in Dartford, Kent, covering 3000 metres in 9 mins. 2.6 seconds in a race shown live on the BBC's Grandstand programme. She ran in further races in Britain including the UK Championships 1,500m (won in 4m 4s) and the 3,000m in the UK Olympic trials which she won in 8 mins. 40 secs., earning a place on the British Olympic team. In the 2,000m at Crystal Palace in July 1984 she set a new world record of 5 mins. 33.15 secs. Commenting during the race for the BBC, David Coleman exclaimed, "The message will now be flashed around the world – Zola Budd is no myth."

1984 Olympic 3000 metres

File:Zola budd mary decker.jpg

Mary Decker crashes to the ground after she and Zola Budd (centre) collide during the Olympic 3000 m final.

In the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, California, the media billed the 3000 m race as a duel between Budd and American world champion Mary Decker, few reporting that a third contestant, Romanian Maricica Puică, had set the fastest time that year.

Decker set a fast pace from the gun with Budd in close pursuit followed by Puică 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 Puică clear of the pack. She seemed to assume control of the race coming out of the turn on the track at 1700 metres. It was an unusual situation for both Budd and Decker, both of them used to running in front and well ahead. It was at 1700 metres, the first, more minor collision occurred. Mary Decker came into contact with one of Budd's legs, knocking Budd slightly off balance. Apparently unfazed, both women maintained their close position. Five strides on, at race time of 4' 58", the following occurred: perhaps in reaction to the first brush, Budd and Decker again contacted. Budd's left foot brushed Decker's thigh, causing the younger runner to lose her balance. The physical backlash of this, sent her into Decker's path. Decker's spiked running shoe in reaction, came down hard into Budd's ankle, just above the heel, which drew blood. Videotapes examined by Olympic officials, showed Zola Budd in closeup, as visibly in pain. Budd, however, maintained equilibrium and kept stride. Decker, now very much off balance, emoted, falling forward, flailing arms, seeking support. She caught hold of the number on Budd's back, which tore free. With this still in hand, Mary Decker literally crashed onto the infield. Her left hip impacted, from which she sustained an injury. She was unable to resume the race.

Zola Budd, deeply affected by the occurrence, continued to lead for a while, but 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. Writing in her autobiography years later, Budd stated that she deliberately slowed down to take herself out of contention because she couldn't face collecting a medal in front of the hostile partisan crowd. Budd tried to apologize to Decker in the tunnel after the race, but Decker was upset, and replied, “Don’t bother!” Puică took gold, with Sly in second, and Canada's Lynn Williams the bronze.

Although Budd was jeered 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."

In general, it is the trailing athlete's responsibility to avoid contact with the runner ahead; whether or not Budd had sufficient control of the race to have pulled into the curve as she naturally did was hotly disputed. "This doesn't mean," track journalist Kenny Moore wrote in the aftermath, "that a leader can swerve in with impunity, but that in the give and take of pack running, athletes learn to make allowances." At first the US media sided with Decker, while the British press supported Budd.

In 2002 the moment was ranked 93rd in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

On an episode of Celebrity Come Dine With Me Budd stated to this day that she has never seen footage of the collision.

International competition

Budd competed internationally for the UK in 1985 and 1986. In February 1985, she was World Cross Country Champion (beating Ingrid Kristiansen) but then went on to several track defeats. The most significant of these was her rematch with Mary Decker-Slaney at Crystal Palace in July 1985 in which she finished fourth, some 13 seconds behind Decker-Slaney.

Budd's form improved significantly after this race, however, as she then went on to break the UK and Commonwealth records for the 1500 m (in 3:59.96), the mile (4:17.57), the 3000 m (8:28.83) and the 5000m (14:48.07). This last reduced the world record by ten seconds. She was also victor in the European Cup 3000 m. Her best times in the 1500 m, mile run and 3000 m were set in races with Decker-Slaney and Maricica Puică. Budd finished third in all three races, with Decker-Slaney and Puică consistently coming first and second respectively.

1986 began with a defence of her World Cross Country title and a world indoor 3000m record of 8 m. 39.79 s. However after a couple of victories in fast early season times over 1500m (4:01:93) and 3000m (8:34:72) her outdoor track season brought several defeats by athletes she should have beaten easily. She competed in both the 1500m and 3000m at the European Championships but did not win a medal in either, finishing 9th and 4th respectively. It later emerged that Budd was suffering a painful leg injury for much of the season: she did not compete in 1987 as she sought treatment for this.

In 1988 she began to compete again with a handful of cross-country runs. However, several African nations claimed that she had competed in an event in South Africa (Budd claimed she only attended the event and did not run) and insisted she be suspended from competition. The International Amateur Athletics Federation upheld this charge and suspended her, at which point Budd returned to South Africa. She retired from international competition for several years, but returned in time to represent South Africa in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, competing in the 3000m.

Marriage and beyond

In 1989 Budd married Mike Pieterse. She began racing again in South Africa. She had an excellent season in 1991 and was the second fastest woman in the world over 3,000m. Following South Africa's re-admission to international sport she competed in the 3000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona but did not qualify for the final. In 1993 she finished fourth at the World Cross Country championships but would never translate this form on to the track.

Budd remains the holder of numerous British and South African records at junior and senior levels and still holds two junior world records; the mile and the 3000 metres.

Budd and her family have been living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, since August 2008. She has a two-year visa that allows her to compete on the US masters' circuit, is a volunteer coach at Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers track team and has raced in the South Carolina division of USA Track and Field, winning the women's division of the Dasani Half-Marathon during Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon on 14 February 2009 with a time of 1:20:41.

Budd's children also compete: at the 2 May 2009 Orangeburg, South Carolina Festival of Roses road race, after winning the women's 12 km. event, she watched her daughter Lisa (17) won the girls 5 km. 12–19 age group at 30:17, followed by her niece Claudia (21) at 31:36.

On January 12, 2012, she announced her participation in the 2012 edition of the Comrades Marathon to be held on June 3, 2012. She would also participate in the Two Oceans Marathon during the Easter weekend of 2012 as she trains towards the Comrades Marathon.

Cultural impact

In South Africa today, township taxis are nicknamed "Zola Budd" for their speed. The singer Brenda Fassie (whom Time magazine called "the Madonna of the townships" in 2001) had a hit single in the 1980s with her track "Zola Budd". On 20 July 2012 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a play by Richard Monks about the political and media actions taken to bring Zola Budd to Britain with her father at the age of 17, the script implying she was unwilling and homesick.

External links

• Twitter accounted created for sharing her Comrades training experience
• Zola Budd at World Athletics
• SAfrica.info – Sporting Greats, Athletics: Zola Budd
• SportsIllustrated.com – SI cover: Back on Track – Mary Decker-Slaney beats Zola Budd in London
• Barefoot Running Book – Publication reviewed by Zola Budd's former coach with excerpts highlighting her career
• dartfordharriersac.co.uk – Dartford Harriers website with reference to Budd's race in 1984