Budd Wants to Compete for Britain Again, London Newspaper Reports

South African-born runner Zola Budd, who quit her athletic career and returned to her native country 6 months ago, wants to race for Britain again, it was reported Friday.

A London tabloid newspaper, the Daily Star, quoted Budd as saying: “I definitely want to run again at (an) international level. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it since I returned here. I’ve always loved running, and you just can’t give it up like that.”

Budd, 22, competed for Britain in the 1984 Olympic Games at Los Angeles and collided with Mary Decker Slaney in the 3,000 meters. Budd left Britain after the International Amateur Athletic Federation found her guilty of participating in a cross-country event in South Africa, which is banned from international competition for its policy of racial separation.

The IAAF recommended that British track and field authorities ban her for 1 year and suspend her from the Olympics in South Korea. Budd preempted that decision by leaving for her native country.

Budd was also quoted as saying Friday, from her home in Bloemfontein, South Africa: “There’s no point in me just running in South Africa. I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of representing Britain.”

The Daily Star reported that Budd is engaged to liquor store owner Mike Pietersen and is studying for a degree in politics and ethnology.