Of particular interest to me, though, is Bernard Rose's monthly column.
Fleet-footed Rose was at the peak of his running career at the time and uses his literary skill to encourage the-then chronically injured Zola Budd to seek out the help of a mythical Johannesburg quack. The term "quack" is not meant to be derogatory – it's just that Dr. Ron Holder's methods of injury healing and integrative health were not exactly standard fare at the time. Rose sings the praises of Ron and rightly so – many an individual, including Springbok captain Francois Pienaar made full recoveries from injuries thanks to his methods.
Zola must have read Bernard Rose's message because she did seek out the late Dr. Ron Holder, with outstanding results. Catching up with Zola last year, I was curious about her injury diagnosis, rehabilitation and subsequent return to international competition in the colours of of her homeland of South Africa at the Barcelona Olympic Games of 1992. It's a great story told in Zola's typically modest and understated manner, which can be accessed via the following link.
