Zola Budd – Back in business in SA

Born in Bloemfontein, and still a small-town girl at heart, Zola Budd made global headlines for all sorts of reasons: some good and some bad.

Bursting on to the scene in 1984, the barefoot teenager turned heads when she shattered the 5,000m world record by clocking 15 min 1.83sec at the age of 17, though her performance was not ratified by international officials due to South Africa’s isolation.

And it was that same political ban which would soon see the youngster departing with her family for the UK, where she received British citizenship in a controversial deal which was pushed by her father and tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail.

The women’s 3,000m event was introduced at the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1984 showpiece in Los Angeles and Budd received a passport just in time to represent Great Britain.

Turning out among the favourites in the final, however, she was clipped from behind by American athlete Mary Decker and after recovering from a wobble, trailed home seventh to boos from the crowd.

Decker, left writhing on the inside of the track, did not finish and Romanian Maricica Puica coasted to victory.

The media subsequently attempted to paint the picture of a war between Budd and Decker, and the US star initially blamed Budd for the incident, but both maintain they have long since let bygones be bygones.

“I’m known for that incident and not my running accomplishments, and I guess that’s the negative side of it,” Budd says. “It affected me because it was the Olympic Games, but I came back after that and ran quite well over the next two years.”

After the Games, Budd went on to win the world cross-country title for Great Britain in 1985 and 1986, and while she set an official 5,000m world record of 14:48.07, she never really achieved the level of success her tremendous talent had suggested she was capable of.

Brushed off by the British due to her rushed change of allegiance and painted as a villain by Americans due to her clash with Decker, Budd eventually opted to ditch her UK singlet for a South African vest.

Competing for her country of birth, she went on to finish fourth at the World Cross Country Championships in Amorebieta in 1993, achieving the best result so far by a South African at the off-road showpiece.

She also competed in the 3,000m race at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, though she was eliminated in the heats.

Her best days on the track were behind her, and the once adored athlete faded into relative obscurity.

Ironically, considering it was the stage for her most infamous moment, Budd later opted to settle in the US.

In 2014, at the age of 48, the mother of three won the Charleston Marathon in South Carolina, clocking 2:59:42 and proving her legs could still take a beating.

Later that year, she returned to SA to participate in the Comrades Marathon, taking seventh in her second attempt at the 89km ultra-marathon in KwaZulu-Natal and crossing the line in 6:55:55.

Now, returning home once more, Budd has confirmed she will turn out at the Comrades again this year, as well as the 56km Two Oceans ultra-marathon in Cape Town.

While she is unlikely to put up a fight near the front of the field at either event – as age inevitably slows her down – Budd hopes to capitalise on her visit by giving a series of business-related workshops and talks with her manager Ray de Vries.

“Businesses in South Africa are running their own Comrades at the moment,” says Budd, who admits she misses her nation of birth. “It is not easy, and not everyone will make it to the next good patch, but those who persevere will survive.”

Despite all her exploits at home and abroad, Budd will be best remembered for her clash with Decker. She was born to run, however, and was so good at carrying her slight frame over long distances that minibus taxis were named after her. Sometimes, Budd says, she even meets people who were given her name.

And while it may be easy to sweep aside her many achievements in order to focus on one moment of unintentional chaos, Budd will always be considered one of the country’s all-time sporting greats, and she has cemented her place among SA’s best distance runners.

Accustomed to dealing with immense challenges, she believes she can now help corporates find their feet in a struggling economy, as she spreads her wings beyond the sport which gave her both infamy and fame.

“Our talks and workshops will help inspire, enthuse and encourage people to hang in there,” she says, “and make it to the other side.”

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