Born in Woolhope, Herefordshire, England, Tooby had her first successes in athletics in cross country running competitions. She competed at national level, winning the Welsh Cross-country Championships four times in 1984–1987^[2] She ran at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1984, finishing in 8th position overall, and improved the following year by taking sixth place at the 1985 race. She had also begun to make an impact on the track, recording the fourth fastest 5000 metres run of 1984.

She was the 10,000 metres bronze medallist at the 1986 Commonwealth Games,^[3] and finished ninth in the 10,000 metres race at the European Athletics Championships that year. She ran the second-fastest 5000 m run of 1987 (after Liz McColgan). In the 10,000 m race at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, she finished ninth with a personal best of 31:55.30.^[4]

The 1988 season was Tooby's most successful: she became the UK Cross-country Champion and,^[5] following a win at the prestigious Almond Blossom Cross Country race,^[6] she won the silver medal at the 1988 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, behind Ingrid Kristiansen, and led the British women to a team silver medal as well.^[7] She attended her first Olympics soon after, but in the women's 10,000 metres at the 1988 Seoul Games, she was eliminated in the heats (following a stress fracture of the spine). Her compatriot Liz McColgan took the silver.^[3]

Tooby attended Aberystwyth University between 1979 and 1983 studying geography and a PGCE in Geography & PE.^[3] She is married to Professor Andy Smith. Her twin sister Susan Tooby, also competed at the 1988 Olympics.

• Angela Tooby at World Athletics  
• British Olympic profile^{[dead link]}
• Angela Tooby at Team GB
• Angela Tooby at Olympics.com
• Angela Tooby at Olympedia  
• Angela Tooby at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)