where she tripped the American favorite

She was supposed to have injured herself. I thought she briefly tried to run again but pulled up almost immediately.

scotth is only half right. Initially Marty Liqouri did rip into Zola Budd. However, after reviewing the tape, he later reversed himself and admitted he was wrong in blaming Zola Budd.

[quote]FreshmanRunner wrote:

I never saw this race (I wasnt even born yet) but i have a simple question. When Slaney fell, did she twist/break something?

Just her very big ego.

Actually, MDS did hurt her hip according to her coaches. This could have very well happened as she torqued in an unusual fashion going down. Anyone who ever saw this near-perfect running machine in her prime could understand. She could move her foot and you could see the back of her neck move. She was tightly wound physically (and also in a personality sense) which produced great times, but led to the many famous injuries. In the famous Budd incident, it is my opinion that Mary's focus was always 'only on herself' and totally unaware of any other person, literally and figuratively. This led to her not paying any attention to Budd or others. Mary couldn't seem run a straight line, was always bumping, and rarely seemed to care or notice. She seemed to race as though all others should cater and move for her benefit. Yes, I also believe that karma was involved as well. That said, it is still a shame to see someone who had put so much effort in over many years in peak condition, and clearly the class of the field, suffer such a predicament, regardless of their personality.

MN Chris wrote:

If I am not mistaken, that's the number from Budd's back there in Mary's hand. Not that it proves anything, but it certainly implies she was behind at the times she was 'tripped.'

She was definitely behind, and now I remember how it was apparent that Mary tried to take Budd down with her- tried for her vest but got the number instead.

Speaking of trying for a "take down", I remember seeing on TV one of the heats of the women's 1500 in a championship the late '90's- I believe it was the WC's, where a women tripped and grabbed on to Regina Jacob's bunhuggers and stretched them to their limit. It was kind of surreal- that spandex really held together and snapped back- fortunately for Regina, but depriving us of one of the all-time greatest bloopers in T&*F!

If I remember me aright Mary just got wind knocked out of her somewhat and maybe injured a tendon--nothing major. I had always been a Mary Decker fan--but after reading about this episode not too long ago and reliving it--and then finding out for the first time Mary's reaction to Zola--I thouroughly hate Mary. I saw the race clearly--Zola eased into lane and Mary decided to speed up so she couldn't get into the lane and Mary caused the spill completely--I felt that way back then--and since reading about it, I am all the more sure. Zola idolized Mary and tried to apologize to her afterwards, but Mary like a baby would just scream accusations that it was all her fault. Zola really felt miserable about it--she also was treated horribly by left wing radicals in Britain regarding apartheid--funny--same radicals seem to love apartheid in Israel. I would not doubt however that Mary was set up to fail drug test on account that she is white and has no chance to medal for USA any more. The drug testing is that corrupt and has always been so. Charlie Francis said Ben Johnson was taking steroids at the time he was caught--but not the ones that they said he tested for--reason--they did not even do a legit test on him. They just wanted the gold medal to go to Carl Lewis and that was that. don't get me started on this drug testing. Craig Masback withheld the names of . . .

"more history" is wrong about Joan Hansen. She was 8th, not 6th, in the Olympic 3000, and she wasn't involved in the Budd/Decker mess. Hansen had tripped on Aurora Cunha's heel earlier in the race.

The foursome of Budd, Decker, Wendy Sly, and Maricica Puica was quite clear of the rest of the field when the "incident" occurred.

Randy Sturgeon wrote:

scotth is only half right. Initially Marty Liqouri did rip into Zola Budd. However, after reviewing the tape, he later reversed himself and admitted he was wrong in blaming Zola Budd.

Yeah, Randy, I know I'm only half right but it's the half I'm right that 90% of people remember about what too-quick-to-judge Marty L had to say. It really wasn't that hard to see what happened in 'real time' vs. slowmo, replay and all that.

For an almost instant replay: flash back to oly trials in Atlanta in '96. Slaney was an inept racer in a pack. She crowded Rudolph in the last 200 meters and as a result got knocked off balance. She plain and simple caused the bump herself. Jennings sprinted away and Slaney was busy looking around as if to get some concession from Rudolph. Whenever bumping occurs in a race the contestants race on. Whenever bumping occurred to Slaney she would look around as if to assign blame.

a miler wrote:

She was definitely behind, and now I remember how it was apparent that Mary tried to take Budd down with her- tried for her vest but got the number instead.

No, she did not try "to take Budd down with her", she tried to stop herself from falling and did the instinctive thing we all do -- stuck out her hand to catch herself.

FreshmanRunner wrote:

I never saw this race (I wasnt even born yet) but i have a simple question. When Slaney fell, did she twist/break something?

She pulled a muscle in her left hip. It took 8 weeks to heal

Joan Hansen is now at the University of North Texas

You are right Joe. And yeah--Mary did instintively try to take Zola down with her--I now remember that. Mary was in some rely once where she got mad at girl she felt cut in front of her and she threw her baton at her after the race--this was when she was 14 I think. Mary had no right being hostile to Zola--but Zola had ever right to be hostile to Mary. Mary was 100% at fault.

A Miler,

The Regina Jacobs' bunhugger stretching incident was at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta - I believe in the 1500 m. semi's. They were definitely stretched to the limits! There was an unusual amount of contact in the women's 1500 m. heats that evening.

L8RUNR, Good call. Interestingly, it happened at almost the same exact spot on the track as ElG's fall. My seats were right there and I was luckily looking directly at each incident. Regina's incident was a lot like Budd's. Another runner tripping and instinctively grabbing for whatever was there to regain balance.

catman wrote:

You are right Joe. And yeah--Mary did instintively try to take Zola down with her--I now remember that. Mary was in some rely once where she got mad at girl she felt cut in front of her and she threw her baton at her after the race--this was when she was 14 I think. Mary had no right being hostile to Zola--but Zola had ever right to be hostile to Mary. Mary was 100% at fault.

There is no "instinct" that causes you to want to take someone down with you. She was trying to keep herself upright. Had it been Budd, Puica, or anyone else in the race she still would have stuck out her arm to catch herself. You would have done the same thing. So would I. It is what led up to her falling in the first place (and what happened afterwards) which is in question.

One thing that people forget about this fiasco is that an official right there on field raised a red flag and Budd was disqualified for obstructing Decker. The officials cited IAAF rule 141 to uphold the decision.

The British appealed Budd's disqualification so an IAAF jury of eight members spent 20 minutes viewing replays of the race from six different angles. The disqualification was overturned but no blame was ever assigned to Mary Decker.

My guess is that both were culpable but neither is really to "blame". Budd tried to cut in without barely a half-stride lead and Decker didn't want to yield the lane, and even moved up a little on the inside). Decker should not have moved up and Budd should have gotten a bigger lead before cutting in. Neither one of them was accustomed to running in such close quarters. They'd always run away from the field in most competitions

The only blame I might assign to anyone is to Decker for what she did afterwards. But I agree with Joe McVeigh on that one. I wonder how gracious I would be after having been the best in the world for the better part of 8 years and yet having my third consecutive (and likely final) chance at an Olympic medal taken away. Probably not very charitable

Sad to see two careers effectively ruined by a simple collision

Ok--I will go along with that--Mary maybe wasn't trying to take Budd down, but her fiesty reputation goes before her. And afterwards in this case as well. (I invented the dangling modifier)

You are all racists pigs. She later in her career tested positive which is the trump card. Nothing else should ever be discussed. If I tested positive (which I never have) all of you white folks would be saying I told you she was on the juice. If I try to discuss Ben Johnsons career prior to the positive test you would just say he was always a druggie. But when little Princess Barbie testosterone level says she should have a penus you all pretend it never happened.