Track star Mary Decker has gained the dubious honor of becoming the first woman to win TV Guide`s ”Mr. Nice Guy” award, given annually to a sports figure for boorish behavior. She edged out Indianapolis Colts` owner Robert Irsay and Cincinnati Reds` pitcher Mario Soto. Decker, the magazine said, won for her actions following the collision with Zola Budd in the 3,000-meter race at the Summer Olympics. ”Decker vilified Budd, blaming her for the mishap and implying she didn`t have enough world-class experience to be running in a race of such importance,” the magazine said. ”Unmistakably, the collision ruined Decker`s chances. But what never seemed to occur to Decker was that it ruined Budd`s, too.”
— Budd`s days aren`t filled with roses, either, according to a British newspaper, Sunday People, which carried a story on Frank Budd, her 52-year-old father. ”My little girl feels only hatred for me,” Budd told the newspaper. ”Though I have lived not 20 feet from her room, not a word has passed between us for four months.”
