Mary Rand: Britain's First Olympic Long Jump Gold

0:00On March 27th, Mary Rand, the pioneering British athlete, has passed away at the age of 86. She made history as the first British woman to claim an Olympic gold medal in track and field, taking the long jump title at the Tokyo Games Inn, 1964. At just 24 years old, Rand shattered the British and Olympic records on her first jump with a leap of 6.59 meters then broke. The world record at 6.76 meters on her final attempt. She also grabbed silver in the first ever women's pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100 meter relay, becoming the only British woman to win. Three medals at a single Olympics. UK athletics shared their sadness online, calling her an Olympic, European, and Commonwealth champion who paved the way for women in the sport. No British athlete has won Olympic long jump gold since her victory. Rand added another long jump gold at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, but had to retire early at 28 because of injuries.

1:02She later married three times, first to a British rower, with whom she had a daughter, then to American Decathlon Gold Medalist Bill Toomey for. 22 years and two more daughters, and finally to John Reese, settling in the United States in California and Nevada. Her achievements earned her the BBC sports personality of the year title in 1964, and an MBE honor in the 1965 New Year, list cementing her lasting legacy in athletics.