Mary Rand (© Getty Images)
World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Great Britain’s 1964 Olympic long jump champion Mary Rand has died at the age of 86.
Rand was a trailblazer in athletics. Her long jump victory in Tokyo saw her become the first British woman to win an Olympic title in the sport and she followed it with pentathlon silver and 4x100m bronze to become the first British woman to win three medals at a single Olympic Games.
She secured that Olympic title in style, leaping 6.76m – a mark that would remain the world record for four years.
Rand was born in Somerset in England on 10 February 1940 and demonstrated her sporting talent while at school. She set her first British record in the pentathlon at the age of 17 and claimed long jump silver when making her major championships debut at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff.
She made her Olympic debut in Rome in 1960, before becoming a multiple Olympic medallist in Tokyo four years later.
As well as those three Olympic medals, Rand claimed bronze in both the long jump and the 4x100m at the European Championships in Belgrade in 1962, just four months after the birth of her first daughter, and she became the Commonwealth Games long jump champion in Kingston in 1966.
Rand won a total of 12 national titles across the long jump, high jump, hurdles and pentathlon during her career. She was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1964 and received an MBE in the 1965 New Year Honours list.
"I am sad to hear of the passing of Mary Rand – one of the greats of British athletics. Mary was a true pioneer in our sport, making history at the Tokyo Games and paving the way for women in athletics," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
"Her achievements at the 1964 Games were immense and her impact goes far beyond what she achieved over eight days in Tokyo – she was a star on and off the track and inspired many with her remarkable feats."
World Athletics