August 10, 1984: Decker's fall

LOS ANGELES - Perhaps nobody had a more decorated career as an American distance runner than Mary Decker. Perhaps nobody had worse luck trying to get the Olympic medal that would cap off her career.

Decker was a well-known and well-respected distance runner when she was in her early teens. At 14, she wasn't old enough to compete in the 1972 Olympics, but she likely would have qualified if she was old enough. Her next chance was at the 1976 games, but a muscle condition led to injuries that kept her off the team. Like the rest of the 1980 U.S. Olympians, she didn't compete in Moscow because of the boycott.

That left the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as her chance. And she was considered a heavy favorite in the 3,000 meters. She had won the World Championships in that event in 1983 on her way to being named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, just another in a series of fantastic years as a distance runner. She was absolutely at the top of her game heading into the 1984 games.

The women's 3,000-meter final was held on August 10, 1984, and as expected, Decker stayed in front for the first half of the race. At around the 1,700 meter mark, Zola Budd, a South African competing for Great Britian, decided the pace was too slow and passed Decker. While cutting back to the inside, Decker and Budd collided, sending Decker sprawling to the ground. Injured, she was unable to finish the race. She was carried off the track in tears by her future husband, instantly gaining nationwide sympathy and turning Budd into a pariah.

The person to blame for the collision is up for debate. Budd was originally disqualified from the race, but was later reinstated after officials reviewed the replay. Normally in distance races, it is generally accepted that a runner needs to be a full stride ahead of their competitor before cutting in front of them, and Budd was not. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the trailing runner to either avoid the collision or tap the lead runner to let them know they're there, which Decker didn't do.

Whoever was at fault, Decker's fall became the most famous race of her career. She qualified again for the 1988 Olympics but didn't medal, meaning America's greatest distance runner finished her career without a single Olympic medal.