Esther Cornelia Brand (née van Heerden; 29 September 1922 – 20 June 2015) was a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

athlete. She competed at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

and won a gold medal in the high jump, placed 20th in the discus throw. She was the first African woman to win an Olympic track and field event. Brand was ranked world #1 in the high jump in 1940–41 and 1952, #3 in 1951 and #5 in 1939. In 1941 she equaled the world record of 1.66 m. Born in

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm v ...

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

, she attended Maitland High School in Cape Town, South Africa. She died after a fall in 2015.

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In memoriam
1922 births 2015 deaths People from Nama Khoi Local Municipality Afrikaner people South African people of Dutch descent South African female high jumpers South African female discus throwers Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for South Africa Olympic athletes for South Africa Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Sportspeople from the Northern Cape {{SouthAfrica-Olympic-medalist-stub