Known as British sport’s original “Golden Girl”, Mary Rand, who won three medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and became the first British woman to win Olympic gold in track & field, has passed away at the age of 86 on March 27. Interestingly, she remains the only British woman to win three track and field medals at a single Olympic Games, leaving fans remembering her as a true sporting legend.

“UK Athletics is saddened to hear of the death of Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion Mary Rand, at the age of 86,” UK Athletics wrote in a statement on X.

While the exact cause of her death has not been publicly shared, fans continue to celebrate the life she led, both on and off the track & field.

That story began at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where Rand led qualifying in the long jump and kept pushing herself through the final. But then she finished with a world record leap of 6.76 m. That jump not only won her gold but also smashed both the British and Olympic records.

Rand earned silver in the pentathlon with 5035 points and helped the 4×100 m relay team win bronze. She became the first British woman to win three medals in a single Olympics – a record that held for 60 years until Emma Finucane matched it at the 2024 Paris Games.

Off the track & field, Rand’s life continued to inspire. After injuries ended her athletic career in 1968, she retired from competition but never faded from the public eye. In 2009, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2012, her hometown gave her the Freedom of the City of Wells in Somerset.

In that speech, she said, “At the time, I didn’t know what effect it would have. But I think what you would hope for is that when you do something like that, it is going to inspire young athletes to want to train and do well. And also to think, ‘she did it, so there is no reason that we can’t do that.”

And now, as she passed away, the track & field community is in mourning, remembering her not just as an Olympic champion, but as an inspiration whose records will continue to inspire for generations.

Track & field fans are heartbroken as they recall Mary Rand’s journey

“RIP and Respect,” one track & field fan wrote. Another added, “An icon and giant of our nation.” And rightly so, Mary Rand earned every bit of that admiration.

Born into a working-class family, her father used to clean chimneys and windows, but Rand still showed her talent in sports from a young age. However, her skills earned her a scholarship to Millfield School as a teenager, where she excelled in jumping, hurdles, and the pentathlon.

Even when she was just 18, she set a UK record in the pentathlon at the 1958 European Championships and finished seventh. Even her eventual successes earned her the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1964 and an MBE in the 1965 New Year Honours.

One more track & field fan added, “Sad to see that Mary Rand has died. We got our first TV in 1964 for the Olympics, and I well remember watching the exploits of the ‘Golden Girl’ amongst others. RIP Mary.” Another added, “Mary Rand, the first British woman to snag three Olympic medals in one Games, has passed away at 86.”

Rand’s achievements went far beyond a single Olympics! She won long jump gold at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. Unfortunately, injuries prevented her from defending her Olympic title, and she missed the 1968 Games and then retired at just 28 after an Achilles injury.

Even her life off the track & field was equally eventful. In 1969, she married Bill Toomey, the 1968 Olympic decathlon champion, and moved to the United States. The couple had two daughters, Samantha and Sarah, during their 22-year marriage. Later, she married John Reese, living in Atascadero, California, before his death, and eventually settled in Reno, Nevada. Even away from the competitive spotlight, her life remained full and inspiring.

One track & field fan shared, “What brilliant memories of Mary Rand and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics from Ann Packer on @bbc5live.” And there’s a reason for that. At those Games, Mary Rand and Ann Packer actually shared a room in the Olympic Village. Rand, already a mother, would even sing lullabies to calm her teammates’ nerves, including Packer.

Interestingly, when in Tokyo in 1964, Rand captured gold in the long jump, and then just six days later, Packer won gold in the 800m. Looking back on her teammate’s talent years later, Ann Packer described Mary: “Mary was the most gifted athlete I ever saw,” she said. “She was as good as athletes get; there has never been anything like her since. And I don’t believe there ever will be.”

That admiration speaks volumes about the impact Rand had not only on fans but on fellow athletes who saw her talent up close.