Legendary long jumper Mary Rand opens up about her life on Sporting Heroes
Mary Rand reveals her Californian neighbours have no idea about her extraordinary past.
Last Updated: 26/02/13 2:12pm
The British athlete overcame disappointment at the 1960 Olympics to win gold in the long jump, silver in the pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100m relay at the 1964 Games.
Asked if her neighbours know of her remarkable achievements, she said: "No, not really. I live in a very small town and they have local papers that have, in the past, done articles.
"But no, not really. And I think that, and I can say this now, if I had had an ego it might have been hard."
In our exclusive interview, the woman dubbed the first golden girl of British athletics talks about her progression into athletics and her sporting highs and lows.
She discusses her failure at the 1960 Olympics in Rome where she was expected to win a medal and her triumph at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo where she beat the favourite to win gold in the long jump.
Rand, who was awarded an MBE in 1965, also chats about her private life and talks about the dramatic change in athletics since her time competing.
Hit the video above for a brief taster and then tune into Sporting Heroes, 10pm, Wednesday, Sky Sports 1 HD.
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