The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 5 June 2001 Tom Knight Zola Budd, whose involvement in Mary Slaney's fall during the 3,000m final typified the wretchedness of the year after she arrived here from South Africa, will take part in the inaugural British Open 10km Road Race in London on July 22. It will be her first race for five years. Her recent 35th birthday means she is now classified as a veteran, but her memories of her time in Britain remain fresh. Budd, like Cook a mother of three, said: "Life was unreal then and the scars are still healing. When I came to Britain, I didn't know who Nelson Mandela was. Yet wherever I went I was confronted by protesters holding banners calling for his release from prison. "I had to ask who he was. People thought I was stupid but that's how it was. In three months here, I learnt more about South Africa than I ever did when I was living there." Budd's outstanding ambitions as an athlete include running in the Great North Run and next year's London Marathon. "Even after everything that's happened, I still like running in England more than anywhere else," she said. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
