Ottavio Castellini for the IAAF
A detail stands out amongst the results of the S. João Corrida, run through the streets of Porto in Portugal. In the results, in 23rd position, can be read the name of Zola Budd, one of the top distance runners of the 1980s. She won two World Cross Country Championships (1985-6), the first in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and became famous for her part in the fall of favourite Mary Slaney-Decker during the 3000m at the 1984 Olympic Games. Budd was a great runner but the media attention that dogged her after she changed allegiance from South Africa to Great Britain to avoid the Apartheid boycott was so great that she ended up giving up the sport and returning to South Africa at the end of the 80s. She made a comeback when South Africa was readmitted to the World Athletics family, but has not rediscovered her old form.
The organisers of this year’s edition of the S. João Corrida assembled a selection of the foremost women distance runners of the last two decades, from all corners of the globe. They included Ethiopian Fatuma Roba, 1996 Marathon Olympic champion, Ireland’s Catherina McKiernan, Romania’s Anuta Catuna, Japan’s Yuko Arimori, double Olympic marathon medallist (silver in Barcelona and bronze in Atlanta 1996), and many more…
Spain’s Julia Vaquero won the race. Additional results as follows:
1st Julia Vaquero (ESP)
37:07
2nd Lyubov Morgunova (RUS) 37:18
3rd Maura Viceconte (ITA) 37:20
4th Helena Sampaio (POR) 37:26
5th Pauline Konga (KEN) 37:34
6th Catherina McKiernan (IRL) 37:36
7th Fatuma Roba (ETH) 37:41
8th Daria Nauer (SUI) 37:50
9th Fernanda Miranda (POR) 37:54
10th Conceiçao Ferreira (POR) 38:05
17th Anuta Catuna (ROM)
39:11
18th Yuko Arimori (JPN) 39:12
22nd Adiana Barbu (ROM) 40:15
23rd Zola Budd (RSA) 40:28
The men’s race was no less impressive. The Spanish duo, Abel Anton and Martin Fiz were competing together in a major competitive race for the first time since their 1st and 2nd placing in the 1997 World Championship marathon in Athens. On this occasion, the silver medallist was better than his compatriot - finishing 10th as Anton came in 22nd.
Far ahead, Kenya’s James Moiben (32:40) fought hard right up to the finish line to beat local hero Paulo Catarino (32:41). Other famous marathon men in the field included Domingos Castro (33:11) who was 7th, and Antonio Pinto (33:19) who finished 9th.
