Photo: NRJ / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Zola Budd is one of those names that carries a whole era with it. To me she's inseparable from that barefoot stride and the world records she set in the 5000 metres in the mid-1980s, plus back-to-back World Cross Country titles in 1985 and 1986. What I find genuinely unusual is that she ran the 3000 metres at two Olympics under two different flags, Great Britain in 1984 and South Africa in 1992. That detail alone tells you her career sat right on the fault lines of sport and politics. I respect that she kept running long after the spotlight moved on, into marathons and ultras.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Zola Budd
- Name (Japanese)
- ゾーラ・バッド
- Reading
- ぞーら・ばっど
- Born
- May 26, 1966 (age 60)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Horse
- Origin
- Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
- Height
- 164 cm
- Occupation
- middle-distance runner / marathon runner / ultramarathon runner
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Zola Budd born?
Born May 26, 1966 (age 60).
Where is Zola Budd from?
Zola Budd is from Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.
What does Zola Budd do?
Zola Budd works as middle-distance runner, marathon runner, ultramarathon runner.
How tall is Zola Budd?
Zola Budd is 164 cm.
Middle-distance runner — see all → · Marathon runner — see all → · More people from South Africa →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.