Mary Rand
Encyclopedia
Mary Denise Rand, MBE, (née Bignal) (born 10 February 1940) is a former English
track-and-field athlete
. She won the gold medal in the long jump
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
by breaking the world record, becoming the first-ever British female to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event.
, Somerset
, England. At the age of 16, Millfield School offered her an athletics scholarship. She excelled in all sports and won All-England Schools' titles. She was outstanding at high jump
, long jump and hurdles
. In 1956, she was invited as a guest of the Olympic squad at a training camp in Brighton
, where she beat Britain's best high jumpers.
championships.
In the 1960 Olympics
in Rome
, she set a British record of 6.33m in the qualifying round of the long jump, which if repeated, would have won her a silver in the final. In the final she fouled two of the three jumps and finished ninth. She also finished fourth in the 80m hurdles. She won a bronze medal in the European Championship long jump in 1962.
At the 1964 Olympics
in Tokyo
, Rand set an Olympic record in the long jump in the qualifying rounds jumping 6.52m. In the final she beat the favourite Tatyana Schelkanova of the USSR and Poland's Irena Kirszenstein. Her first jump of 6.59m was a British record. However in the fifth round, on a wet runway with a headwind of 1.6 metres per second, she broke the world record, leaping 6.76m to take gold. To add to her gold in the long jump, she won a silver medal in the pentathlon (her total of 5035 points putting her in second place in the all-time rankings). She was beaten to the gold medal by Irina Press
, whose biological sex has long been the subject of speculation. She also won a bronze as a member of the Great Britain team that finished third in the 4x100 metres relay.
Six days after Mary won the gold medal, her room-mate Ann Packer
won gold in the 800 metres. Ann Packer said: "Mary was the most gifted athlete I ever saw. She was as good as athletes get, there has never been anything like her since. And I don't believe there ever will."
Rand was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 New Year's Honours List and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year
for 1964.
After Tokyo, her training was less intensive, but she won a gold medal in the long jump at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Due to injury, she failed to make the 1968 British Olympic team and decided to retire in September that year.
There is a plaque commemorating the world record long jump (6.76 metres) by Rand at the 1964 Olympic Games located in the Market Place in her home town of Wells
. She was succeeded as the Golden Girl of British athletics by her friend and London Olympiades club-mate, Lillian Board
.
In 2009, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame
.
, the 1968 Olympics' decathlon champion. This marriage lasted 22 years and they had two daughters, Samantha and Sarah. She later married John Reese and she lives with him in Atascadero in the United States. She now holds joint UK/US citizenship.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
track-and-field athlete
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. She won the gold medal in the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
by breaking the world record, becoming the first-ever British female to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event.
Early life
She is the daughter of Eric and Hilda Bignal. She was born and grew up in WellsWells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. At the age of 16, Millfield School offered her an athletics scholarship. She excelled in all sports and won All-England Schools' titles. She was outstanding at high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, long jump and hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
. In 1956, she was invited as a guest of the Olympic squad at a training camp in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, where she beat Britain's best high jumpers.
Athletics career
At the age of 17, Rand set a British national record of 4046 points in the pentathlon. She won a silver medal in the 1958 Commonwealth Games long jump and came fifth in the high jump. One month later she came seventh in the European pentathlonPentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
championships.
In the 1960 Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, she set a British record of 6.33m in the qualifying round of the long jump, which if repeated, would have won her a silver in the final. In the final she fouled two of the three jumps and finished ninth. She also finished fourth in the 80m hurdles. She won a bronze medal in the European Championship long jump in 1962.
At the 1964 Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Rand set an Olympic record in the long jump in the qualifying rounds jumping 6.52m. In the final she beat the favourite Tatyana Schelkanova of the USSR and Poland's Irena Kirszenstein. Her first jump of 6.59m was a British record. However in the fifth round, on a wet runway with a headwind of 1.6 metres per second, she broke the world record, leaping 6.76m to take gold. To add to her gold in the long jump, she won a silver medal in the pentathlon (her total of 5035 points putting her in second place in the all-time rankings). She was beaten to the gold medal by Irina Press
Irina Press
Irina Natanovna Press was a Ukrainian athlete.-Career:Press was Jewish. She won two Olympic gold medals for the USSR team, in 80 m hurdles and pentathlon...
, whose biological sex has long been the subject of speculation. She also won a bronze as a member of the Great Britain team that finished third in the 4x100 metres relay.
Six days after Mary won the gold medal, her room-mate Ann Packer
Ann Packer
Ann Elizabeth Packer MBE is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long jumper. She won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
won gold in the 800 metres. Ann Packer said: "Mary was the most gifted athlete I ever saw. She was as good as athletes get, there has never been anything like her since. And I don't believe there ever will."
Rand was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 New Year's Honours List and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
for 1964.
After Tokyo, her training was less intensive, but she won a gold medal in the long jump at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Due to injury, she failed to make the 1968 British Olympic team and decided to retire in September that year.
There is a plaque commemorating the world record long jump (6.76 metres) by Rand at the 1964 Olympic Games located in the Market Place in her home town of Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
. She was succeeded as the Golden Girl of British athletics by her friend and London Olympiades club-mate, Lillian Board
Lillian Board
Lillian Barbara Board, MBE was an athlete from Great Britain, who won the silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and two gold medals at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics in Athens, Greece...
.
In 2009, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame
England Athletics Hall of Fame
The England Athletics Hall of Fame was launched in 2008 with a panel of experts selecting a list of potential inductees for athletics fans and members of the public to vote on. The Hall of Fame honours those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of athletics in England...
.
Personal life
She met oarsman Sid Rand in 1961. Three days after meeting she agreed to marry him and they married five weeks later. They had a daughter, Alison. The marriage lasted five years. In December 1969, she married her second husband, American Bill ToomeyBill Toomey
Bill Toomey is a former American track and field competitor and the 1968 Olympic decathlon champion....
, the 1968 Olympics' decathlon champion. This marriage lasted 22 years and they had two daughters, Samantha and Sarah. She later married John Reese and she lives with him in Atascadero in the United States. She now holds joint UK/US citizenship.