Ann Packer MBE

First Woman to win an Olympic track Gold Medal (800 metres) for Britain (1964)

December 2011, Congleton Canal Tow Path

b.1942, Oxfordshire

In 1964 aged 22, Ann Packer made history: not just as the first woman to win 800m trade gold medal at the Summer Olympics, but in set ting a world record time of 2 minutes 01.1 seconds. Ann had only raced the distance on two other occasions. Forty years would pass before another UK woman would achieve that trailblazing 800m gold (Dame Kelly Holmes 2004).

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