Today in History: Zola Budd smashes the 5 000m world record
As South Africa was banned from competing internationally in any sporting code, the event took place without publicity that might have attracted anti-apartheid demonstrators.
Zola Budd was born on 26 May 1966 in Bloemfontein. She burst into national prominence in 1983.
In 1984 she gained international recognition when, at the age of 17, she broke the women’s 5 000m world record.
Because South Africa practiced apartheid at the time, the world track and field establishment refused to recognise the record.
However, she later claimed the world record officially while representing Great Britain in 1985.
On 26 August 1985, Zola broke the 5 000m world record that Ingrid Kristiansens of Norway had set 16 years before by more than 10 seconds to set a new world record of 15 minutes 1,83 seconds.
Zola stunned the sporting fraternity because she preferred to run barefoot.
As South Africa was banned from competing internationally in any sporting code, the event took place without publicity that might have attracted anti-apartheid demonstrators.
Zola returned to South Africa after she was banned by the IAAF in 1988 because she, as a British citizen, allegedly took part in an event in South Africa, though she insisted that she only attended the event and did not run.
She retired from international competition for several years, but began competing again in South Africa and had an excellent season in 1991, when she was the second fastest woman in the world over 3 000m.
Today Zola Budd still runs 16 to 24km a day and is married to Mike Pieterse, a South African businessman. They have three children. Under her married name, Zola and her three children relocated to South Carolina, US, in August 2008. Mike later joined them.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
