Women's 3000m LA 1984
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- Опубліковано 18 січ 2013
- A dramatic race with Zola Budd and Mary Decker getting into a tangle resulting in Decker falling. Maricica Puica and Wendy Sly take advantage winning Gold & Silver with Lynn Williams taking Bronze.
Commentators - David Coleman and Brendan Foster.
BBC Coverage. - Спорт
It's was really a shame. I still remember my father and I watching it and they kept showing the replay over and over and over again. It was like they were trying to convince people that Zola deliberately tripped Mary. My father and I kept saying, "Where's the trip?" We NEVER saw it.
@Paul Kryder I think Decker was shocked and pressurised by the newbie actually leading the race , and she reacted in inner panic and accidentaly caught Zola's leg
It's was a flagrant trip. I saw it in the semi-finals and actually yelled down to warn Mary. Here Zola did it twice in this race, the first she jabbed her with the left foot and then a sec later pushed her foot further over at Mary for a successful trip. I was late getting to the race and it happened before I could do anything. Being an athlete and a member of the press I saw quite a lot of politics in the '84 games, things you just wouldn't believe from death threats to sarcastic indignations against record holders. The boycott of 1980 left many of us out of competition at a time we were at our best. Me just getting my 0:16 degree and at my peak just 6-7 years after getting the most valuable player award from track and field while Moses, Decker and Shorter were seen as the top USA runners for gold that missed out in 1980.
People may have said that Maricica Puica's victory and hence her name would be overshadowed by the Decker-Budd incident in this race. But, I'll ALWAYS remember Maricica Puica--and I'm not even Romanian!! LOL!! :) :)
Plus Melinte on 800m.
Didn't Puica and Melinte win silver and bronze on 1500m, too?
The other thing was Romania defied everyone else in eastern Europe by sending a team to the Los Angeles Olympics. The Americans appreciated this.
Decker would've wiped the floor with the Romanian runner, had she not tripped and fell. She proved it in a race against her a year later.
@@kevinmalone3210 You can't judge it on that. Where an athlete is in '85 isn't necessarily where they are in '84. Decker had suffered her first defeat at the hands of an American athlete for years a week before.
I still remain surprised that people are so adamant that Zola was so much in the wrong here. Yes, she did move to the front and then slow down. But the pace the race accelerated to when Budd, Sly and Decker were all vying for the lead was unsustainable. And she did cut in a bit sharply but she was being crowded by Wendy Sly, and had to move to the front or be but off herself. Decker had time to act as there were a number of strides taken before bumping happended. But, as a number of commentators at the time said, her arrogance prohibited her acting in a sensible way. And, in response to James Brennan, am not sure how Zola "stuck to the 'Romanian girl' [Puica, incidentally] like glue" ... she headed her for the majority of the race!
Zola Budd is a class act as an athlete. Decker was a drama queen and later a confirmed drug cheat. You be the judge.
It's a shame Princess Mary had to go pointing the finger.
I think Zola would have won this race, the fact that she had to pass the drama queen rolling around on the ground was probably all too much for her
“She did cut in a bit sharply” says it all.
@@davidbrandel1311 No, it doesn’t. When she moved to the front, she and Decker clipped each other. Zola held her position, giving Decker plenty of time to respond but she didn’t.
Decker was hopeless in a pack. She nearly fell in the semi-final of this event. And tripped in both the semi-final and final in Seoul.
All Decker had to do was reach her arm out towards Budd, touch her back or shoulder to warn her to give her some room. You often see this in men's races when they are bunching up.
And lets not forget ... (from wikipedia) "... an IAAF jury found that she was not responsible for the collision. Decker said many years after the event "The reason I fell, some people think she tripped me deliberately. I happen to know that wasn’t the case at all. The reason I fell is because I am and was very inexperienced in running in a pack." ...
Off the record "Mary Decker was inexperienced in showing championship character, by not trying to get up and run, fight back". Zola was inexperienced in dealing with a wimp, and didn't go for the gold.
@@perkinsvalentine I agree Decker showed lack of character. Budd's 7th place finish wasn't giving up and not going for the gold-she wasn't in form to even if she wanted...note how she drifted from third further and further back. She just hit the wall.
Didn't anyone see the push at around 13:21 ? Watch it a couple times and you can see Mary's left arm reaching across (very quickly) and pushing zola on the shoulder. It's a very quick and abrupt. Zola then stumbles and her left leg kicks to the left (quick reaction to maintain balance) putting it right in line with Mary's right foot and that's when Mary clips the back of zola's leg causing zola to stumble yet again and Mary to go to the ground. It was the push that started off the sequence, a very quick push to the right to get zola out of the way I presume, or knock her down. But it back fired in a bad way. I don't think Mary meant to trip her and definitely don't think zola stuck her leg out to trip Mary. Mary was likely frustrated running on the inside behind zola and I think that's why Mary gave her a quick shove to get her the hell out of the way so she could pass easier on the inside. I suspect that's what the judges concluded when they reinstated zola.
That tends to happen when the person behind you steps on your bare heal with a spiked cleat - twice.
All well and good, but Puica was in great form at the time and won pretty effortlessly. Decker would have been lucky to beat her.
Very good point , not considered by many :)
The result without the fall would be Puica, Budd and then Boo Hoo Decker.
@@grl9917 Naw Decker easily beats Budd. Budd does not have the finishing kick to compete with Puica and Decker unless she broke away which she wouldn't have. Budd's best case is a bronze in that case.
I well remember this race and no one will ever convince me that Decker's fall was anything but an accident and entirely her own fault. Was Zola Budd supposed to have eyes in the back of her head ? Decker could see clearly in front of her, Budd could not and Decker came across as a drama queen, who tried to milk the accident for all it was worth.In any event, let's take nothing away from the superb Maricica Puica, who was in a class of her own, ran a very astute race tactically and thoroughly deserved the gold medal. For people to assume that Decker would have won when the incident happened over three laps from the finish seems to me ridiculous - Maricica showed tremendous acceleration to pull away from Wendy Sly (who ran a great race for silver) and was a very worthy winner !
THANK YOU!! I saw this when I was 5 years old. I'm 39 now, and STILL see how obvious it is. No one passes people (whilst running) with that wild-ass leg movement to get over! But now these two bitches are on tour together! I guess everyone is a capitalist. And to all the people who say "she clipped her feet." Uhhh...try running in a pack. Let's see if your shoes don't get scuffed a bit. geez
Winner was a guy. Where was the real woman?
seventyfour1833 I also thought it was an accident. Great to rewatch this after 34 years. I was 18, like Zola Budd. Funny enough, by chance today is Mary Decker’s 60th birthday. She married Richard Slaney and they are going strong.
Marc Manahan An 18 year old, bare foot. Huh?
Decker came off well though didn't she. Budd who had quicker time trials, lost the race, had her career ruined before it started and had the hate of America heaped on her while Decker walked away with all the sympathy of her home town and rest of America
puica" was" a great great athlete
Uma atleta que usa meias
I've never run in a pack before, but as a spectator I'm surprised this stuff doesn't happen more often. Everyone's arm/leg swings and kicks are so different.
Decker eats track, and then whines about it for the next decade.
truth.
Given Deckers failed drug taste later I think we can say cheating is a part of Deckers sports life
Zola got spiked twice by Decker. Zola was ahead and couldn't see exactly where Decker's feet were. Its not like Zola passed her and then slowed down. If Decker needed to drop back a few inches to keep from tripping she should have done that. When you clip a runner in front of you and you don't learn your lesson, and maintain the same distance, then you can't cry when you clip them again and you fall. You can't let yourself get boxed in and then expect to run your own race. And anyone who thinks Zola tripped her on purpose doesn't know about running and also doesn't know the character that Zola has.
It actually did look like she may have slowed down a little
You're also not supposed to pass by clipping who you're passing!
"you can't let yourself get boxed in" Please explain how someone literally stepping to the left and BOXING HER IN is her fault. Try that excuse with your car insurance company when you cut someone off and it's caught on red light cam lmao
And try explaining to the car insurance company when you keep at the same pace running up the back of the car/person when you know you're going to hit them. Good luck with that claim!
She had already passed Decker and was directly in front of her when Decker clipped her.
American miler here, and I have run a LOT of races. And here’s the reality: Zola did NOTHING WRONG because she had already taken the lead on Slaney, which allows her to then dictate pace if she so chooses. Slaney was in a box - TOO BAD. You let yourself get in the box, Zola had control at the front, AND SLANEY IS AT FAULT 100% for her fall.
Wrong
Disagree!Budd tripper,her, you can see her leg going out unnaturally.
@@johnmc3862q~`an obvious trip
7:19 you're welcome
I don't feel bad for Decker. It was her fault. Maybe some of you haven't run Track, or understand the jitters in a race. You have to be aware, and believe it or not, coordinated. Budd took the pole position, and moved in, Decker kicked Budd. Then Budd moved out to the edge of lane 1, then moved back in. This is a very Common move to show the other runner, Im coming in. Call it nerves, or Deckers lack of racing IQ. You let the runner in, and like a classy runner, you move past them. (Im American)
1984 was the last time ABC in the USA televised the Games of the Olympiad...since 1988, NBC has been televising them.
maricica puica stepped forward when she was introduced and in very good form flashed the crowd for a big round of applause..
'flashed" ?
I saw it and I was devestated!
How can you trip somebody behind you on purpose? It was a tangle. If you trip and fall it's your own fault.
zola rules
Two different stride lengths and a differnce in cadence caused the acident. Budd moved towards the infield obviously oblivious to Decker's long rangy stride. Budd's short but fast chopping pace interfeared with a loping fast stride which could never have been altered in full flow. The end result was just one of those things that happen. Always try to keep in the first 4 and never become boxed in, even though you may be running slightly further over the race entirety.
The fantastic documentary The Fall pretty much sums up this sad day. Wat stood out for me was the fact that Zola didnt even want to be there and she certainly didnt want to be on the podium with all the booing going on.
you could spend the rest of your life watching this race and you'd still never see the trip
Just saw the Nine for IX documentary where Mary Decker said she followed her coach's advice and let Zola Budd lead for a couple of laps (because the strategy was Mary would eventually overtake her). Of course, the plan backfired. If she had kept Zola behind her, she would not have had Zola's foot in front of her to trip herself with. Funny how history is written with the most seemingly trivial things.
It didn't mater since Puica was the better runner at the time.
you can tell she felt bad about it.. I don't see it was her fault, though.
It was an unfortunate event for the Anglo-Americans & M. Decker. I do not think, and I am still quite surprised to hear people putting the blame on Zola. The latter was in front, and Mary tried to move through the inside lane, which according to the rules, no one should pass through the insides. M.D did not have chance for gold with Puica in the race. At the time, no women could handle Puica's finishing kick. M.D. had to place either for bronze or silver - I would say more bronze than second.
Thank you sir.
Maricica flashes the crowd..in very good form
Because Mary Decker and Zola Budd were such high-profile runners who did not win this race, few people remember who actually WON it. I'M one of those few people. It was Maricica Puica of Ceausescu's Communist Romania.
Rolling my naked eyes😳👁👁. I disagree. Puica became a STAR for winning this race. It made her famous. But if the fall hadn't happened, and if Puica had still won, she'd be long forgotten by now
Decker was a sore loser. These things happen , really was not Budd's fault. I read that Budd purposely held back when she realised that it was Decker that fell. She heard crowd booing and did not want to be on podium with controversy.
Let's make no mistake - there was one winner in this race: Maricica Puică. It's what the race should be remembered for. I think she would have won regardless of what happened to Decker or Budd.
Let's make no mistake - Maricica was a doper.
I didn’t even know/remember who won this race....that’s not important, apparently!!! 🤣🤣🤣
@@mikephalen3162 So was Decker.
--- Hey, Decker.... you stepped on Zola's LEFT foot two times and you paid the price.... cameras don't lie...
When passing on the outside like Budd was doing, is is the responsibility of the runner to make to leave space and not interfere with the runner on the inside. This has been the rule forever.... and Zola broke that rule. Decker could not move any more left, because she was on the inside.. it was Budd's responsibility to move to the outside. This is why she was penalized, and apologized.
@@JamieTransNyc what are you talking about ? Decker admits fault and doesn't blame budd anymore .
@@JamieTransNyc Passing? Zola Budd was in front. She passed Decker nearly 50 meters before Decker went down.
True
I agree with Mary Decker when she says she was inexperienced running in a pack. As Zola overtook Mary, she (Zola) did not cut into the inside track too quickly or pushed Mary beyond the track into the field. Mary should have anticipated that as Zola overtakes her and move closer into the inside, she (Mary) must time her strides well to avoid clipping Zola. At that moment, with Zola in front of Mary it was Mary who had sight of Zola and should have reacted accordingly. There was no way Zola would know that Mary will clip her. In fact to show that Zola may have been a bit more experienced than Mary in running in a pack, she was clipped twice by Mary yet did not fall. Mary "fell on her sword" literally 🙈 as she tried carelessly to keep up or not let Zola overtake her.
If you observe latest races, Athletes running on the inside often shuffle to the outside lane to overtake. They don't try to force their way through the small space left in the inside. Maybe they have learnt from this Zola and Mary incident.
To the commentator: Budd was definitely NOT tiring!! Completely spent???? Bad bad comments
I remember watching this race intently as im from..Regina , Sask...and so was Lynn Williams who won the bronze. Decker, I thought clipped Budd AND caused that accident.
Mary didn’t win the race but she should have gotten an Oscar for that performance
Just watched Come Dine With Me (UK), Zola was on it so I thought I'd come see what happened!
Budd's fault...No WAY !
best from Romania: Maricica puica!!!!
Zola budd très grande championne et Mary dekker aussi mais pour moi budd est ma préféré
It looks like Zola Budd lost her balance, causing her to take a funny step with her left foot and shutting the door on Mary Decker. I suspect there was some contact before the tangle that caused Decker's fall.
As I recall, there was some contact between Decker's thigh/knee and Budd's thigh, because Budd was cutting in too soon. Budd lost her balance, and then made one very funny step with her left foot all the way across in front of Decker... Decker tripped, and the rest is history. The funny step that tripped Decker is visible at 7:18 and 13:25. Previous to that, you can see Decker throw her arms out wide trying to keep her balance as she is being cut off.
The bottom line is that Budd did cause the accident but not deliberately. Budd's legs always pushed her heels WIDE and away from her body. Watch closely and you will see this anomaly throughout the race. Unfortunately, when Budd moves in front of Mary, she moves inside a bit too soon and Mary had nowhere to go. The clip became inevitable at that point.
Ich sah dieses Rennen.Das war Deckers eigener Fehler.
total accident and a lot of drama from Mary.
She did admit later not sure how much that the collision happened because she was not used to pack running as she usually run out front, I remember this I was nine and watched it with my Grandfather who had been a distance runner in his younger years and said exactly that at the time!
That makes me think of a Jean Nate after bath splash commercial involving Olympic women running. Zola Budd makes a great Jean Nate spokeswoman.
When examining the replay in slow motion from other angles / views / videos, one might suspect that Zola twice recovered her left foot forward by stabbing her right calf. Such incidents may have autonomically compelled her to fight for balance at full stride thereby thrusting her left leg to the left. It's really tough to surmise that at 18 years old in front of the world having revered Decker as an inspiring figure with credentials to win outright that she would be so cunning to have executed a deliberate trip.
Zola baby is not to blame for Decker's fall. The American woman bumped into a small foot.
Running can be a nightmare.
I've run before as well, and another runners feet can have a pinball effect, on another runners feet.
So this type of a situation can play out.
I feel bad for all of them.
Zola has eyes in the back of her head now to intentionally trip decker please that trip n fall couldve went either way
Decker stepped on Zola Budd. It’s her own fault she fell.
Mary was behind Zola and hit Zola's feet. How in the world it becomes this poor girl's fault and blame Zola for Mary's fall?
It was Zola's fault, but I do not think it was intentional.
If anyone ever watched the 84 Olympics documentary which came out following this event, Puica was interviewed and threw shade at Decker saying that had she fallen, she would have got back up and tried to finish the race. Puica's coach/husband said that any athlete who intensely prepares for this race would never let a situation like what happened with Decker/Zolo happen, meaning he believes although Decker fell, Puica was the most prepared for the race and was the rightful champion.
Because in MY naked eyes😳👁👁, it's only right that you finish what you started. Nobody likes a quitter.@@cindya9572
Brendan Foster commenting I Like that
Fifty-fifty, but for Decker to react the was she did was bad form. She could see what was happening, Budd could not.
Decker came across a spoilt brat with a sense of entitlement. She knew she had f*cked up by showing off in front her fellow countrymen and the watching world so she was going make sure Budd took the blame for it.
That said, speaking as a Brit, I felt resentful of the special treatment Budd received by being fast-tracked for a British passport. The Tory government were trying to ride on her coat-tails for political advantage, so I disliked Budd somewhat for allowing her self to be used that way. Of course it all backfired on the Tories when, as the video shows, Decker tried riding on Budd's coat-tails too!!
I remember seeing her in a bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road around about the time and you could hear everyone whispering the name 'Zola Budd'
Galvão Bueno narrou essa corrida
Ela chora igual neymar
Was Decker injured, or was her pride wounded?
I've fallen and I can't get up lol.
correct.
Mary decker should have just ran her race and blown everyone away... She let Zola take the lead and it cost her a gold. She has no one to blame but herself and her coach.
Puica still would have won
Did the 3 km. dissapeared from the olympics competition?
Yes, the last one was in Barcelona in 1992. The 5K replaced the event in Atlanta 1996.
@@tommytempo1 I thought the las 3 k was in los angeles.
@@raffaojeda no Tatyana Samolenko won in 88 and Yelena Romanava won in 92
wasn't not deliberate...mary decker needs to get over it.
After all these years i still wonder what the result would have been. Any comments on this? I have nooo idea
1. Puicica
2. Decker.
3. Sly
1. Decker
2. Puica
3. Budd
1.Puica 2.Decker 3.Budd. 1984 and 1985 were 2 completely different seasons. Yes, Mary was invincible in 1985 but was injured at the 1984 LA trials, while Puica was in the best form of her life.
What a beautiful time it was...all these woman looked like they All Natural ,.No Steroids....
Zola budd my darling you have the biggest heart. You could’ve beat all these girls but your heart tells you to not medal. These people who booed have no respect and no idea. You are the winner my darling cos you intentionally lost to avoid all these bastards
I agree , when she was mugged into comming into our foul England , she saw the true evils of the world . She had her 18th here as well ... not allowed any family contact , booed here, spat at .... how did she even manage to turn up and run for " us " . I respect her immensely .... love to Zola .. the perfect athlete x
Mary didn't run up on her ass, she maintained pace. She didn't even have room to move to the outside as she was boxed.
As Kathleen Kennedy, who was there, (and a world class runner; 100+ miles a week) told me in her heavy Irish accent; "Zola didn't trip Mary, Mary tripped herself!!" I believe her.
Puica would have won even without the incident. She was the greatest athlete of them all, only lacking the publicity.
Not at all. Your comment is irrelevant. You do not know the outcome if all stayed in the race safely. Mentally, things changed in the race with the fall.
see at 11:34 the security napping while someone gets on the field.
When a runner cuts in front THEN YOU MUST HANG BACK. Don't physically try to cut WHEN A RUNNER IS IN FRONT until you make your move on the outside. Decker was WRONG
Angie L ..in boxing the ref usually tells the fighters.." protect yourself at all times". this warning holds true in any situation..in a race such as this its each runners personal responsibility to watch it out there..that said, it seems as if Decker should have did everything possible to avoid stepping on another runner which on this case caused her to go down..to me I could go down and not finish whether I was in the right or in the wrong going home with a bruised ego and empty handed..
Angie L, you don’t “HANG BACK” in a race. This is absurd. Budd shouldn’t have cut in front of Decker if she couldn’t clear her and take the lead.
12:12
Budd ran barefoot in a highly competitive international field of women wearing track spikes. Unless she's running well ahead of the pack and alone, Budd had to run defensively, which means placing her feet differently than everyone else. Accident could have happened to anyone. However, the real race was between Decker-Slaney and Puica.
I was there at the Coliseum that day and saw it happen from across the football field. We were robbed of a real showdown in the making.
Mary Decker PMSL. I always find it hilarious when she stumbles and falls over.
I agree that Budd moved over in front of Decker before she was clear enough to do so safely. They clipped once, and instead of giving Decker some ground Budd inexplicably moved over in front of Decker even further (Decker was all the way on the inside of the track, there was no way she could have gotten out of the way without running onto the infield), which sadly ended in catastrophe for both of them.
The Romanian was lucky not to hit the deck as well.
To all the people blaming Decker, I can't understand why. TWICE you can see Budd angle her calf in a weird angle that never happens for a runner. It wasn't even her trying to take the edge, but she sticks it out at a 45 degree angle and slows down.
And if you've ever run a track race, you don't need eyes in the back of your head to know exactly where people are around you. You can use your other senses to figure it out just fine.
Absolutely Budd’s fault.
@@MisterOE3 funny, Mary Decker doesn't agree with you.
I saw it
God her fall was more satisfying than a tremendous bowel movement
Under Thoroughbred racing rules, Mary Decker Slaney’s fault. You do not keep running up on the heels of someone or some creature in front of you, when that individual has already gained the position. In a race horse’s post comments it would have said clipped heels and fell.
This does say, "Women's 300", right?
Almost 4 decades later, still upsets me how classless Decker was.
j avais 23ans je courrais avec mon frère qui courrais mieux que moi et mon ami JC Lecoq avec qui j ai fait mon premier marathon c étais hier fait qui lui toute la course étais devant moi incroyable JC
I remember watching this as a kid and ABC (?), playing the fall over and over again as if Zola had purposely, and magically, tripped Mary. Anyone with half a brain could tell that it was just an accident.
Does anyone think result would have been different if Budd was a runner who wore shoes?
With or without shoes, Budd would have medalled had the incident not have happened. Gold between Decker and Puica with Budd getting the Bronze.
In MY naked eyes😳👁👁, bare feet is always better in any sport. Shoes impede your progress. PS: I'm an always-barefoot gymnast.🦵👣
Was a Decker's wrong,because Budd is in first position.American not addmit that was a her wrong because are fanatics.
it was not Zola's fault, she was stepped on twice by Mary, all the way keeping her lane distance
No she didn't, she cut in front of Decker causing her to trip.
I saw a her trip her. you watch the legs very closely
That left ankle twist by Budd would have snapped my ankle little a matchstick.
Her ankle was rotated inward, left foot pointing at her right foot and yet she maintained her stride and didnt fall.
Nancy Kerrigan-ish.
Rumanian juiced
Так этой Деккер и надо! А рухнула то, как будто её поезд переехал.
Zola Budd was an inexperienced, 18 year old kid at the time,
running bare foot, and Mary Decker was a double World Champion who
should have had more sense, spacial awareness, and tactical edge. She
failed, I won't say miserably, but I will say disasterously. History is
littered with favourite athletes hitting the deck, with the other most
notable American being Jim Ryun in 1972. There was no intent on Budd's
part. Decker, having caught Budd's foot the first time, should have
eased back to give herself some space. She didn't and she suffered the
consequences. If anything, Decker ruined Budd's chances in that race by
injuring her, twice! The judges decision to disqualify Budd was wholly
wrong, and was quickly overturned.
gakaface, no, Decker should NOT have “eased back” in the Olympics 3,000M. That’s the most ridiculous comment I’ve ever read about sports ever. Should Michael Phelps have “eased back” in any of his 13 Olympic gold wins? Should Ali have “eased back” in the ‘60 Olympics? Should Simon Biles “ease back” in gymnastics, right now? Hell, no. No one should “ease back” in competition at that level. Decker and Budd today blame their collision on lack of experience in running in packs, and Mary no longer blames Budd. But what should have happened was Budd should NEVER have pulled in front of Decker if she wasn’t fast enough to clear her. Budd got spiked and seconds later Decker went down because Budd cut in without actually owning the lead position. Budd made a mistake and they both paid for it.
What this race is remembered for is character. We've seen over the years people not just go down, but get up to finish strong one way or another. And in some miracles, get up and win. Mary Decker is the story not Zola, and the story is about a cry baby who nothing ever goes right for and boo hoo. It didn't even cross her mind to get up and try, her first though was quit. Needed to get carried out by the Terminator... Hell they're only Olympians and the world's best conditioned people - you'd think they may survive a trip. I would've got my fat ass up and tried to win out of spite alone and be ready to go 15 rounds with Zola, and a true champion would've. As far as Zola, screw it, If she were a real champ she would just go for the win. Now she's knows she got caught up in the drama called Mary boo hoo Decker.
She pulled a muscle in her hip during the fall and couldn’t have gotten up even if she’d tried. Or do you think that her writhing in pain on the ground was simply for dramatic effect?
That said, Decker was known as an aggressive runner who would occasionally shove other runners out of her way. This accident was 100% Decker’s fault - and I thought so at the time, too.
It was an accident. She just moved inside a little too quickly.
Budd did nothing wrong, btw USA runner here, Slaney should've, could've got back up and in it aka Viren, and still had time to get back to the pack
Mary Decker is a real drama queen if there ever was one. She was too arrogant to admit to have lost to the gracious Maricica Puica of Romania.
Mary thought of slowing down the pace after the 3rd lap in order to conserved her energy for the remaining laps. But the other contenders such as Puica, Zola and Wendy were having none of it and instead kept toe to toe with her.
If Mary really believed she was strong and physically fitter then the rest, then she should have stayed well ahead of the pack just as she did when she won the world title the year before the Olympics.
Therefore it was highly debatable if that win was not achieved using PEDs. If anything, it should be Zola who should have fallen after being spiked by the fast fading Mary.
In the past, there were many great examples of athletes who have gotten up immediately after a fall and gone on to win the race. Mary instead preferred to lie on the grass next to the track cluching her seemingly bruised leg as if she had been shot by a gun.
If anything, the crowd was actually booing Mary for her selfish misdemeanor ways.
Puica would have won the title with or without Mary in the lineup
Clearly Decker's fault....why was this controversial?? Decker was nothing but a crybaby embarrassment!!
I think the big culprit here was wendy sly, she started to bump budd, she hated the little girl...
I though she acted like a coach for Zola within the race. Wendy Sly seemed to really get Zola going and looked like Great Britain may have finished 1-2 in the race for a minute there.