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." Packer's winning performance is featured in Tokyo Olympiad, the official documentary of the games directed by Kon Ichikawa. After winning the gold medal, she announced her retirement at the age of 22 and so had one of the shortest athletics careers of any Olympic gold medallist. It would be another forty years before another British woman, Kelly Holmes, would win the 800 m, despite British men being successful at the distance. Later in the same Games, Robbie Brightwell won a silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay. They later married 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 800m 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: 100y 10.9 (1963), 10.8w (1960); 100m 11.7w, 12.0 (1960), 200m 23.7 (1964), 400m 52.20 (1964), 800m 2:01.1 (1964), 80mh 11.4 (1960), HJ 1.60 (1959), LJ 5.92 (1960), Pen 4294 (old tables) (1963). References External links BBC Sport article SportingLife article on Anne Packer Photo of Ann Packer (left) with Mary Rand Tokyo Olympiad - film by Kon Ichikawa (Criterion Collection) 1942 births Living people Alumni of the University of Greenwich British female