Mary Rand
 Rand in 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Mary Denise Bignal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 February 1940 Wells, Somerset, England, UK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 March 2026 (aged 86) Reno, Nevada, US | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | pentathlon, long jump, high jump | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | London Olympiades | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mary Denise Rand (née Bignal; 10 February 1940 – 26 March 2026) was an English athlete. She 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 athletics. Until 2024, Rand was the only British female athlete to win three medals in a single Olympics.
Early life
She was born Mary Bignal on 10 February 1940 in Wells in Somerset, where she grew up. Her father, Eric Bignal, was a chimney sweep and window cleaner while her mother, Hilda, was a nurse. She studied at Millfield School.
Rand was good at high jump, long jump and hurdles. She was a guest of the Olympic squad at a training camp in Brighton in 1956, where she beat Britain's best high jumpers.
Death
Rand died on 26 March 2026 at a care home in Reno, Nevada from acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of 86.
Honors
Rand was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1965 New Year Honours for her works to athletics and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 1964. She wore a mini-skirt to collect her MBE medal from Queen Elizabeth II. In 2009, Rand was honored into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
References
- 1 2 Ingle, Sean (27 March 2026). "Mary Rand, first British woman to win Olympic athletics gold, dies aged 86". The Guardian. London: Guardian News & Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ↑ Elizabeth Hudson, 'Mary Rand - the trailblazing Olympic champion'. BBC Sport, 28 March 2026. Retrieved 28 March 2026
- 1 2 "Mary Rand obituary: Britain's golden girl". The Times. London. 27 March 2026. p. 78. Archived from the original on 27 March 2026. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ↑ "Somerset's Mary Rand was the golden girl of athletics and women's sport pioneer". Somerset Live. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ↑ Longman, Jeré (April 4, 2026). "Mary Rand, Star British Olympian in the Swinging '60s, Dies at 86". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- ↑ United Kingdom list: "No. 43529". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1964. p. 18.
- ↑ "2009 Hall of Fame Inductees: Mary Rand". England Athletics. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
Other websites
Media related to Mary Rand at Wikimedia Commons
- British Pathe film: Mary Bignal Rand 1961
- British Pathe film: Home Town Cheers Mary Rand 1964
- Grainy video of her receiving BBC Sportsview Personality of the Year Award 1964
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