JOHANNESBURG: Track veteran Zola Budd has pulled out of a marathon in her native South Africa, citing a viral infection, her sponsor The Unlimited said on its site.
Budd, 47, was set to run at Sunday’s Comrades Marathon in Durban, but withdrew after suffering flu-like symptoms.
Budd, a South African native, represented the UK at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles to avoid an IAAF ban on South Africa for its apartheid laws. She is remembered for inadvertently tripping American runner Mary Decker in the 3,000-meter final, in which both women were considered favorites.
As an 18-year-old, Budd broke the 5,000-meter record competing for the UK after her record set in South Africa the previous year was not recognized by the IAAF.
Budd currently lives in the United States.
Zola Budd out of race in South Africa
