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Mary Rand, First British Olympic Gold Medalist, Dies at 86

3/28/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Mary Rand, the British track and field athlete, died at age 86.
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first British woman to win Olympic gold in athletics.
She set a world record long jump of 6.76 meters.
She won silver in the pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100m relay.
She was known as the "golden girl" of British athletics and drew attention from Mick Jagger.

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Story summary

Mary Rand, the British track and field athlete, died at age 86.
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first British woman to win Olympic gold in athletics.
She set a world record long jump of 6.76 meters.
She won silver in the pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100m relay.
She was known as the "golden girl" of British athletics and drew attention from Mick Jagger.