Mary Rand – the Olympic champion who blazed a trail for female athletes

History-maker, an inspiration and a remarkable athlete.

Mary Rand’s biggest achievement in track and field may have been 62 years ago, but her influence is still being felt today.

Rand, whose death aged 86 was announced on Friday, became the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics, thanks to her long jump victory in Tokyo in 1964.

She went on to win silver in the inaugural women’s pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100m relay at the same Games. She was the only British female to win three medals at the same Olympics until track cyclist Emma Finucane matched it at Paris 2024.

Ann Packer, who won gold and silver in Tokyo and was Rand’s room-mate along with Mary Peters and Pat Pryce, told 5 Live Breakfast: “Bearing in mind there were fewer events for women than today and she got three medals, she was extraordinary and a complete inspiration.

“She was always the mother hen and wanted to make sure we kept the room tidy. I will miss her dearly.”

Rand, who was born in Wells, Somerset, on 10 February 1940, was a prodigious talent, attending Millfield School on a sports scholarship before being expelled after going to Paris with her then boyfriend and becoming engaged.

She burst on to the international scene at 18 with long jump silver at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, and set a British record on her Olympic debut in Rome in 1960.

Four years later and now a wife and mother to the first of her three daughters, Rand set an Olympic record with her first-round jump. Her final jump of 6.76m broke the world record.

In an era of amateurism, all her success came when she was working part-time in the postal office at a Guinness factory in London.

She was described as “Marilyn Monroe on spikes” by a former national athletics coach and also caught the eye of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

“I was at the BBC one day and the Beatles were there. I met two of them – Ringo [Starr] and George [Harrison] I think,” Rand told Sky Sports in 2023.

“And then Mick Jagger – I never actually met him, but they asked him if he could go on a date with anybody and he said it would be me.”

Rand was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1964 and made an MBE in 1965.

After winning long jump gold at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, injury ended her Olympic title defence and she did not make the squad in 1968, retiring in September that year aged 28.

In 1969 she married for a second time – to American Bill Toomey, the 1968 Olympic decathlon champion – and moved to the US, where she remained until her death.

British Athletics described Rand as a “genuine superstar” and a “trailblazer”.

Packer said: “Mary had it all. She had the talent, she had the looks and she had the determination, and she was just as nice inside and out.

“Just last week we had three brilliant British women winning gold at the World Indoor Championships, and they owe a big debt of gratitude to Mary because she was instrumental in giving women the belief they could succeed in sport like their brothers had done.”