do not think this was actually appalling but  unfortunate. accidents happen. Zola and Mary collided accidentally. Mary made it to the finish line but ended up being about seventh instead of first. who knows where she would have been. mishaps happen a lot in the Olympics.

If you don't get it - you have never run /train on the level that requires real competition. ZB was and still is in a different class than MD. If you look at the track records before and after this event [continuing still today] you will clearly see who is the better athlete in heart and soul! If it gets to hot in the kitchen get out, the same in the arena of sport. MD had NO chance that day she knew it. Instead it was better for her to end up with the worlds no 1 number in her hand, stepping with her spikes on Zolas feet and end up crying so the world would feel sorry for her? Years later the two women raced each other again. Research the grace that one of them walked away with - no sour loser this time!

such a sad day for Mary and Zola....both trying to do something great for her country

Zola probably did cut in a bit too sharply (I have just watched the race again on video) but all Mary had to do was to give her a slight shove or drop back for a stride or two and all would have been fine. For some reason, Mary decided it would be better to keep running right up Zola's back. The pace was slowing, so much so that even Wendy Sly wanted to try and push it on. Budd wanted to keep it going, hence why she went forward. She much have injected a fair amount of speed because, up until she did, the field was all together. Within the 100m she was in front because of the tip, the first four had broken well clear.

I don't get it. I ran track and cross country and never collided with anyone, but I did have some jackass try to trip me in cross country.

Lets take a look at Decker's history. This was the third of three incidents in which she fell or was collided with.

Incident one: USA-USSR meet in Moscow, 1974. Decker collided with Sarmite Shtula in the 4x800 relay. Decker threw her relay baton at Shtula, picked it up and finished the race and again threw her baton at Shtula.

Incident two: Millrose games in New York, 1983. Decker shoved Puerto Rican runner Angelita Lind to the ground whenshe failed to move aside to let Decker pass.

Incident three: 1500m (not the 3000m as it says in the title) 1984 Olympic Games. Decker tripped, fell, screamed at Zola Budd who also fell. Although Budd was initially disqualified, after a review of tapes an Olympic jury reinstated her.


Decker was a whiny joke. This incident was overblown by a few syncophantic sports writers and by Decker herself, desperate to excuse her generally under-achieving performance.

The only sickening thing about this is what Mary Decker, a classic underachiever if ever there was one, using Zola Budd as a scapegoat for what was clearly an unintentional accident. Decker took out her frustration on never being able to win out on Budd when the real reason looked at her in her bathroom mirror.

Whether cheating, an accident, or poor sportsmanship, the Zola Budd collision with Mary Decker essentially only affected the two runners (though perhaps some others immediately behind the competitors) and had no material impact on the Olympic games. This was certainly no appalling moment when compared with some of the other events on this list.

Well said, goldtop71. Zola did cut in too sharply, and I wish more people would empathise with Mary. She was crying because she was in intense physical pain. It broke my heart when, by then past her prime, she finished way out of the medals in Seoul four years later, her last chance gone. And I'm a brit.

Clearly, all the whiner posts do not understand distance running. When a runner wants to go ahead of another runner, the runner has to be a full stride ahead before they can cut in the other runner's lane. This was clearly NOT the case in in 1984 ny virture of the simple fact Mary was tripped. Why the track officials did not DQ Budd and re-run the rqace will be a mystery to me forever. Why Budd was allowed ont the track without shoes will always be a mystery to me. When you are in cleated running shoes on a composite track contact is catastrophic. So cutting in front of a runner at speed is an extremely serious violation and Mary was crying because she had just pulled her groin muscle, painful beyond belief as well as losing the Olympics. The world was robbed of the greatest 3,000 meter women's Olympic race ever. I blame the officials more than anybody. As a result, distance running has become a contact sport, with elbows, spiking, and any number of dirty tricks going on in the pack. Mary Decker is the greatest runner the U.S. has ever produced, male or female. Argueably the best athelete we have ever had. If she were a man, she'd be on every Wheaties box in the world.

I just saw the collision today (multiple times) on the HBO Special The Story Behind the Picture. It's the 1st time since '84 that I've seen a rerun of the multiple angle film shots and still photos of the collision sequence. Zola Budd clearly overtook and cut in on Mary Decker while 'slowing' in front of Decker. Budd was clearly at fault. Period. Analyze the program footage and see for yourself.

For Zola, she was great. Mary Decker was a bad sport. Total accident, would have been great to see Zola knock her off in a smooth race. Zola was a cutie.

Zola Budd was killed by the American press. Mary Decker was wrong and her behavior was disgusting.

Mary Decker, the 'darling' of America. What a whingeing brat. Yes, she miss the olympic because of boycott and injury, but Zola Budd was well within her right to make the move to the inside. when you running in a pack, the person behind always have to give way. Zola was well within her 1 stride ahead move in zone and she was right. BAD Mary Decker!!! You stupid rat ba$tard!

Decker's behavior was the only apalling thing about it.

I still wonder if Budd did that on purpose. We will probably never know, but it's a shame about Mary Decker's Olympic career. Due to Carter's boycott in 1980, she missed her best chance, and then this happened in L.A. What a shame our best female long distance runner never won the gold.

Mary Decker's behaviour was disgraceful! She came across as a whingeing spoilt brat - and she could have avoided the collision.