Zola Budd taking athletics authorities to court

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – The manager of Zola Budd’s South African running club says the former Olympic athlete will take authorities to court after they disqualified her from an age-category prize in a marathon.

Hooters Athletics Club manager Ray de Vries says the 48-year-old Budd finished first in the 40-49-year-olds class at the gruelling 90-kilometre Comrades Marathon in June but was unfairly disqualified for not displaying an age tag on her vest.

De Vries says the now U.S.-based Budd was instructed before the race, which was billed as her South African homecoming, that there was no need for a separate tag as her age category was shown on her main race number.

De Vries says Budd wants “redress” and lawyers have started proceedings to take the regional athletics body and Comrades Marathon Association to court.