Mary Rand cause of death: Olympic athletics legend dies at 86

Mary Rand, the first British athlete to win an Olympic gold has died at the age of 86.

The cause of her death has not been revealed yet.

Rand engraved her name in the history books of sports at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where she won the gold in the long jump, the silver in the pentathlon, and the bronze in the 4x100 meter relay, making her the first British woman to win three medals at a single Olympics.

She has been remembered especially for her long jump victory.

Rand shattered the world record with a leap of 6.76 meters, a distance that would have secured bronze at the 2026 World Indoor Championships, 62 years later.

She was born in Wells, Somerset, in 1940 and grew up in a council house before securing an athletics scholarship to Millfield School.

After a disappointing ninth-place finish in the 1960 Rome Olympics, she returned determined, juggling training with a job in a Guinness factory postal room.

Her exploits in Tokyo earned her national adoration. Renowned for her blonde hair, she was dubbed "Marilyn Monroe on spikes," meeting The Beatles, dining with the Queen, and being named Mick Jagger's dream date. She was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1964 and an MBE in 1965.