Sidney Rand

Although he competed for England and Great Britain for a dozen years Sidney Rand’s greatest medal successes came early in his career. He won silver medals in the coxless fours in the 1954 European Championships and the single sculls at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games the same year when only twenty years of age.

Rand went to the Melbourne Olympics of 1956 partnering his brother Bill Rand in the double sculls but the pair were eliminated in the heats. Despite winning a double sculls title at the Henley Regatta between Olympics it was in the single sculls that he was chosen for the Rome Games of 1960 and again he failed to reach the final.

After a five-week courtship he married fellow Olympian Mary Bignal in 1961 and the two went to Tokyo in 1964 as part of the British team although Sidney, though still a competitive rower, was only chosen as a coach to the rowing team. His other role was to look after the couple’s young daughter as his wife not only won the long jump but took medals in the pentathlon and sprint relay as well. Sidney and Mary were divorced in 1966, the same year he retired from top level rowing.

Rand was a well respected coach for the rest of his life and continued to row for pleasure until just a few months before his death from cancer in late 2008.