Ann Packer

Biography In 1959 Packer won the English Schools 100 yards title. Next year she competed internationally in the long jump. She attended Didcot Girls' Grammar School (now Didcot Girls' School).

In 1962, she reached the finals in the 200 metres at the European Championships and in the 80 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games; she was also part of the 4 × 110 yards relay team that won two medals at these competitions. In 1963 she focused on the 400 metres, and already by her fourth 400 m race ran a world-level time of 53.6 seconds.

When she was selected for the 1964 British Olympic team Packer worked as a physical education teacher at Coombe County Girls' School, New Malden, Surrey. At the Olympics she shared a room with long jump gold medallist Mary Rand. Packer was hoping to win the 400 metres, but was beaten into second place by Betty Cuthbert of Australia, despite setting a new European record at 52.20 seconds. Disappointed, Packer planned to skip the 800 m event and have a shopping trip instead, until her fiancé, Robbie Brightwell persuaded her to compete. Before the Olympics, Packer only had five domestic 800 m races; Commenting on her win, Packer said "Middle-distance running for women was still in its infancy and the 800 m had only been run in Rome four years earlier for the first time. I knew nothing about the event but being so naive was probably to my advantage; it meant I did not have any limitations in my head regarding what I should or could do. Ignorance proved to be bliss." and had three sons, Gary, a 400 m runner like his mother, and Ian and David, the latter two becoming footballers with Manchester City. She and Brightwell were each appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1965 New Year Honours for services to athletics. In 2011 Brightwell published a book detailing their careers: Robbie Brightwell and his Golden Girl: The Posh and Becks of Yesteryear. Packer now lives in Congleton in Cheshire.

In 2009, Packer was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame. Ann was coached by Denis Watts and was a member of Reading Athletic Club when she was selected for the British Olympic team.

In 1966 Packer appeared in an experiment for the BBC TV history programme, Chronicle to see how far geese could walk in a day. She was chosen because however far the geese went, she would still be with them at the end.

Packer's 800 m gold medal win at the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics is dramatically captured in the stunning documentary film Tokyo Olympiad (1965) directed by Kon Ichikawa. The race (and Packer celebrating with friends and loved ones after winning) is shown in its entirety starting at minute 59:30 of the film.

Athletic personal bests: 100 y 10.9 (1963), 10.8w (1960); 100 m 11.7w, 12.0 (1960), 200 m 23.7 (1964), 400 m 52.20 (1964), 800 m 2:01.1 (1964), 80 m h 11.4 (1960), HJ 1.60 (1959), LJ 5.92 (1960), Pen 4294 (old tables) (1963).

Honours During the celebrations marking 750 years of Congleton's charter in 2022, a postbox in Congleton was painted gold by Royal Mail in Packer's honour.

In 2023 a meeting room at the reopened Congleton leisure centre was named the Brightwell suite in honour of Ann and her late husband Robbie Brightwell.