Mary Rand

Mary Rand
MBE
Rand in 1966
Personal information
Birth nameMary Denise Bignal
NationalityBritish
Born(1940-02-10)10 February 1940
Wells, Somerset, England, UK
Died26 March 2026(2026-03-26) (aged 86)
Reno, Nevada, US
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)pentathlon, long jump, high jump
ClubLondon Olympiades
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1964 TokyoLong jump
Silver medal – second place 1964 TokyoPentathlon
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo4×100 m
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1962 BelgradeLong jump
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Belgrade4×100 m
Representing  England
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1966 KingstonLong jump
Silver medal – second place 1958 CardiffLong jump

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.[1] Until 2024, Rand was the only British female athlete to win three medals in a single Olympics.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

Death

Rand died on 26 March 2026 at a care home in Reno, Nevada from acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of 86.[5][1]

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.[6] She wore a mini-skirt to collect her MBE medal from Queen Elizabeth II.[3] In 2009, Rand was honored into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.[7]

References

  1. 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.
  2. ↑ Elizabeth Hudson, 'Mary Rand - the trailblazing Olympic champion'. BBC Sport, 28 March 2026. Retrieved 28 March 2026
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ "Somerset's Mary Rand was the golden girl of athletics and women's sport pioneer". Somerset Live. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ United Kingdom list: "No. 43529". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1964. p. 18.
  7. ↑ "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


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