Budd dedicates run to Korkie
Zola Budd has dedicated her Comrades Marathon run on Sunday to Pierre Korkie, a South African who is being held hostage in Yemen, she said on Tuesday.
"I would like to devote my Comrades run to for a dear friend and coach, Pierre Korkie," she said in a statement.
"He is still held hostage in Yemen and my prayers go out to him and his family.
"I will be running with a yellow ribbon on my vest to honour him and I invite other runners to join me."
Korkie coached Budd in 1988 and 1989.
Budd's manager, Ray de Vries, said the athlete had spoken to Yolande Korkie, Pierre's wife, who was released in January, to ask if the family was happy with her decision to run in Korkie's honour.
"We want to make it clear that this is not a political statement in any way, but is a heartfelt gesture to honour and remember Pierre" De Vries said on the one year anniversary of Korkie's kidnapping by gunmen from the central Yemen city of Taiz.
- Sapa