Zola Budd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Zola Budd

Budd at the 1986 European Championships
Personal information
Born	(1966-05-26) 26 May 1966 (age 59) Bloemfontein, South Africa
Height	164 cm
Weight	40 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800 m – marathon
Club	Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m – 2:00.9h (1984) 1500 m – 3:59.96 (1985) 1 mile – 4:17.57 (1985) 3000 m – 8:28.83 (1985) 5000 m – 14:48.07 (1985) 10,000 – 36:44.88 (2012) Half marathon – 1:11:04 (1997) Marathon – 2:55:39 (2012)
Medal record Women's Cross Country Representing  England World Cross Country Championships Gold 1985 Lisbon Individual Women Gold 1986 Nieuwegein Individual Women

Zola Budd (born 26 May 1966) is a famous runner from South Africa. She was known for running long distances, often barefoot! Zola competed in the Olympic Games twice, first for Great Britain in 1984 and then for South Africa in 1992.

She broke the world record for the 5000 metres race in 1984 and again in 1985. Zola also won the World Cross Country Championships two times in a row (1985 and 1986). Her best time for the mile race, 4 minutes and 17.57 seconds, was a British record for 38 years!

Zola moved back to South Africa in 1989. Later, in 2008, she moved with her family to the USA. There, she continued to compete in very long races called marathons and ultramarathons. She returned to South Africa in 2020–2021.

Zola Budd's Running Journey

Breaking the 5000m World Record

Zola Budd was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She became famous in 1984 when she was just 17 years old. She ran the 5000 metres race faster than anyone ever before, in 15 minutes and 1.83 seconds!

However, South Africa was not allowed to take part in international sports at that time. This was because of a policy called apartheid, which separated people based on race. Because of this, the world athletics group (the IAAF) did not officially accept her record.

But Zola didn't give up! In 1985, she officially broke the world record again. This time, she was running for Great Britain, and her new record was 14 minutes and 48.07 seconds.

Moving to Britain

A British newspaper, the Daily Mail, helped Zola move to Britain. Her grandfather was British, so the newspaper suggested she apply to become a British citizen. This would allow her to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Many people thought it was unfair that she got her citizenship so quickly. Usually, people had to wait many years. Groups who were against apartheid also spoke out about this.

Zola soon started racing in Britain. She won the 1500m UK Championships and the 3000m UK Olympic trials. She even set a new world record for the 2000m race in July 1984.

The 1984 Olympic 3000m Race

Budd (barefoot), Decker, and Puică leading the 3000 m race at the 1984 Olympics

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, everyone was excited about the 3000m race. Many people thought it would be a big competition between Zola Budd and the American world champion, Mary Decker.

Mary Decker started the race very fast, with Zola right behind her. About halfway through, Zola took the lead. Both Zola and Mary were used to running far ahead of others. Running so close together was new for them.

Around 1700 metres into the race, Zola and Mary touched legs. Both runners stayed on their feet. A few steps later, they touched again. Zola's foot brushed Mary's leg, causing Zola to lose her balance. She moved into Mary's path.

Mary Decker then stepped on Zola's ankle with her spiked shoe, causing Zola to bleed. Mary then tripped and fell off the track. She was very upset and could not finish the race.

Zola was very affected by what happened. She kept running but slowed down and finished seventh. After the race, Zola tried to say sorry to Mary, but Mary was too upset.

Later, a jury from the world athletics group (IAAF) looked at what happened. They decided that Zola was not to blame for the collision. Mary Decker later said that she fell because she was not used to running so close to other athletes.

This moment was very famous and was even ranked as one of the "100 Greatest Sporting Moments" by a TV show.

Competing Around the World

Zola continued to compete for the UK in 1985 and 1986. In February 1985, she became the World Cross Country Champion.

After this, she set new records for Britain and the Commonwealth in several races:

• 1500m (3:59.96)
• Mile (4:17.57)
• 3000m (8:28.83)
• 5000m (14:48.07)

Her 5000m time was a new world record, ten seconds faster than before! She also won the 3000m at the European Cup.

In 1986, Zola won the World Cross Country title again. She also set a world indoor record for the 3000m. However, she had a leg injury for much of that year. She took a break from competing in 1987 to get treatment.

Zola's Life After International Running

Returning to South Africa

In 1988, Zola started running again. However, some African countries said she had competed in South Africa, which was still against the rules because of apartheid. They wanted her to be stopped from competing. Zola said she only attended the event and did not race.

Zola was suspended from competing. She then returned to South Africa and stopped international running for a few years.

In 1989, Zola married Mike Pieterse. They have three children. Zola also wrote a book about her life called Zola.

After South Africa was allowed back into international sports, Zola competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She ran the 3000m but did not make it to the final race. In 1993, she finished fourth at the World Cross Country championships.

Zola still holds many British and South African running records, especially for junior runners.

Life in the United States

Pieterse at the 2012 Comrades Marathon. She finished in seventh place in the 2014 race, and was the first female veteran to cross the line.

In 2008, Zola moved to South Carolina in the United States. She continued to run in long races. In 2009, she won the women's part of the Dasani Half-Marathon.

In 2012, she decided to run the Comrades Marathon, a very long race of almost 90 kilometres (about 56 miles) in South Africa. She finished the race and earned a medal. She ran the Comrades again in 2014 and did very well, finishing seventh among all women. She also won a special gold medal for being the first 'veteran' (older) female runner to finish.

Zola dedicated her 2014 Comrades run to a South African teacher who was held captive in Yemen. She later had a problem with her veteran medal because of a small rule about wearing an age tag. She started a court case to get her veteran win back.

In 2015, Zola won the Run Hard Columbia Marathon. As of 2020, she was a coach for high school and university running teams in South Carolina. She moved back to South Africa in 2021.

Zola Budd's Impact on Culture

Zola Budd is so famous in South Africa that share taxis in townships are sometimes called "Zola Budd" because they are fast! A popular singer named Brenda Fassie even had a hit song called "Zola Budd" in the 1980s.

In 2012, a radio play was broadcast about Zola's story. It talked about how the media and politicians helped her come to Britain when she was young.

Zola Budd's Best Times

Zola Budd's International Races

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Great Britain /  England
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	7th	3000m	8:48.80
1985	World Cross Country Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	5 km	15:01
1985	European Cup	Moscow, Soviet Union	1st	3000m	8:35.32
1986	World Cross Country Championships	Neuchatel, Switzerland	1st	4.7 km	14:49
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	9th	1500m	4:05.32
			4th	3000m	8:38.20
Representing  South Africa
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	25th (heats)	3000m	9:07.10
1993	World Cross Country Championships	Amorebieta, Spain	4th	6.4 km	20:10
1994	World Cross Country Championships	Budapest, Hungary	7th	6.2 km	21:01
Marathons
2003	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	DNF	—	—
2007	Kloppers Marathon	Bloemfontein, South Africa	1st	—	3:10:30
2008	New York City Marathon	New York, United States	69th	—	2:59.53
2011	Kiawah Island Marathon	Kiawah Island, United States	5th	—	3:01:51
2012	Myrtle Beach Marathon	Myrtle Beach, United States	3rd	—	3:00:14
2012	Jacksonville Marathon	Jacksonville, United States	4th	—	2:55:39
2014	Charleston Marathon	Charleston, SC, United States	1st	—	2:59:42
2015	Run Hard Columbia Marathon	Columbia SC, United States	1st	—	3:05:27
2017	Stirling Scottish Marathon	Stirling, United Kingdom	9th	—	3:12:24

See also

In Spanish: Zola Budd para niños