Zola Budd
Zola Budd
Zola Pieterse, née Zola Budd, is a middle-distance and long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain and the 1992 Olympic Games for South Africa, both times in the 3000 metres. In 1984and 1985, she broke the world record in the women's 5000 metres. She was also a two-time winner at the World Cross Country Championships. Budd's career was unusual in that she mainly trained and raced barefoot. Since 2008 she has been living in South...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth26 May 1966
I found them uncomfortable and after that I decided to continue running barefoot because I found it more comfortable. I felt more in touch with what was happening - I could actually feel the track.
There were always a couple of loonies who caused all the trouble.
Looking back... it's hard to understand what all the fuss was about as things changed in just a few years. When you look at all the things that have happened in the world, it seems very small.