Background
Piggford was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England and was a member of Gateshead Harriers.
Piggford was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England and was a member of Gateshead Harriers.
In 1988, Piggford earned late selection for the 4 × 400 m relay squad for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She didn"t compete in the heats but came in as a replacement for Janet Smith for the final. The British quartet of Linda Keough, Jennifer Stoute, Piggford and Sally Gunnell, finished sixth in 3:26.89.
Piggford had some of her best results indoors, including reaching the 400 metres final at the European Indoor Championships in both 1989 and 1990.
At The Hague in 1989, she was fourth in an indoor best time of 52.90. In Glasgow in 1990, she was fifth.
She also competed at the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest. In the 400 metres final, she finished fifth in 53.45.
At the European Championships in Split, she ran 53.00 to reach the semi-finals of the 400 metres.
This would be her final appearance at a major championships. Her indoor best of 52.90 at The Hague in 1989, ranked her third on the United Kingdom all-time indoor list at the time, behind Sally Gunnell and Verona Elder. As of 2013, the time still ranks her in the United Kingdom indoor all-time top twenty.