Mary Rand
Mary Rand ( Mary Denise Rand, born Bignal; born February 14, 1940 in Wells, Somerset ) is a former British athlete (long jump ) and Olympic gold medalist.
Mary Rand is the first British woman who won a gold medal for their country in athletics. A few days after their success won Ann Packer as a second British gold in the 800 -meter run.
Career
Your first major international appearance was still under her birth name Bignal, at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958 in Cardiff. With 1.61 meters, she was fifth in the high jump with 5.97 meters in the long jump, she won silver behind their English teammate Sheila Hoskin 6.02 m. A month later, she won the European Championships 1958 in Stockholm seventh in the pentathlon
At the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 it was set as the favorite in the long jump, but could only reach a ninth place. The bronze medal in the 80 - meter hurdles in 11.1 s she missed only about a tenth of a second.
At the European Championships 1962 in Belgrade, she won the bronze medal with the 4 x 100 - meter relay. Also she won bronze in the long jump with a wind- aided 6.22 m.
At the Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan edge won the 4 x 100 - meter relay bronze medal together with teammates Janet Simpson, Daphne Arden and Dorothy Hyman. She won silver in the pentathlon between the Soviet Union antretenden Irina Press ( gold) and Galina Bystrova (bronze). In the long jump, she won the gold medal with a world record distance of 6.76 m in the long jump in front of the Polish Irena Kirszenstein ( silver) and the Russian Tatjana Schtschelkanowa (bronze). It was the same year the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Sportsman of the Year in the UK, selected.
In Kingston, Jamaica, at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1966, she won the long jump with 6.36 meters. A month later at the European Championships in Budapest in 1966, she was again fourth in the pentathlon.
After the failure of her first marriage to the rowers Sidney edge she married in 1969 the U.S. decathlete Bill Toomey, was divorced in 1992, John Reese married and now lives in the United States.