Shchelkanova had the three best jumps in the world prior to Tokyo, but
it was the number two jumper, Rand, who led the qualifying with an
Olympic record 6.52. Rand (then Bignal) had led the Rome qualifiers,
only to falter in the final. This time she made no mistake, leading from
the outset with 6.59. Though threatened by the ubiquitous
Kirszenstein’s 6.56 in round 3, Rand was untroubled. The “golden girl”
of British athletics soared to a world record 6.76 in the fifth round
despite a headwind of 1.69. A similar following wind would have
resulted in a jump of around 7.00. As it was Rand dominated the competition,
for her six jumps averaged 6.62, ahead of Kirszenstein’s best
of 6.60, and well ahead of the demoralised Shchelkanova. The Russian
was not as disappointing as the popular Willye White (USA), who had
ranked third before Tokyo with 6.55/6.60w, but managed only 6.07 in
the final.
Great Britain
Poland
Soviet Union
Germany
Romania
Bulgaria
Norway
United States
Italy
Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Australia
Hungary
Taiwan
Argentina
Philippines
South Korea
Ghana
Iran