1. Mary Rand won the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record, the first British female to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field.
18 Facts About Mary Rand
1. 2.
Mary Rand is the daughter of Eric and Hilda Bignal.
3.
Mary Rand was born and grew up in Wells, Somerset, England.
4.
Mary Rand excelled in all sports and won All-England Schools' titles.
5.
Mary Rand was outstanding at high jump, long jump and hurdles.
6.
At 17, Rand set a British record of 4,046 points in the pentathlon.
7.
Mary Rand won a silver medal in the 1958 Commonwealth Games the long jump and came fifth in the high jump.
8.
Mary Rand won a bronze medal in the European championship long jump in 1962.
9.
Mary Rand's first jump of 6.59m was a British record.
10.
Mary Rand's record lasted four years until it was broken at altitude by Viorica Viscopoleanu in the Mexico City Olympics.
11.
Mary Rand won the silver medal in the pentathlon, her 5,035 points putting her second in the all-time rankings.
12.
Six days after Mary Rand won the gold medal, her roommate Ann Packer won the 800 metres.
13.
Mary Rand was as good as athletes get, there has never been anything like her since.
14.
Mary Rand was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 New Year Honours for services to athletics and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 1964.
15.
Mary Rand held the world record in the triple jump from 1959 to 1981; it was unofficial as a world record because the women's triple jump was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations until 1990.
16.
Mary Rand was succeeded as Golden Girl of British athletics by her friend and London Olympiades club-mate, Lillian Board.
17.
In 2009, Mary Rand was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
18.
Mary Rand later married John Reese and lives with him in Atascadero, California, in the United States.