Sir Roger Bannister, the British athlete who became the first man to break the four-minute mile, has died in Oxford at the age of 88.
A statement released on behalf of his family said: “Sir Roger Bannister, died peacefully in Oxford on 3rd March 2018, aged 88, surrounded by his family who were as loved by him, as he was loved by them. “He banked his treasure in the hearts of his friends.”
He became the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes, with a time of three minutes and 59.4 seconds at Iffley Road sports ground in Oxford on 6 May, 1954 aided by his pacemakers Sir Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher.
A few months later, Sir Roger beat his Australian rival, John Landy, in the “Miracle Mile” or “Mile of the Century” at the Empire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia as both men ran under four minutes.
Bannister also won gold over the same distance at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, he studied medicine at the University of Oxford and went on to become a consultant neurologist, retiring from athletics in 1954 after winning the 1,500 metres at the European Championships in Berne, Switzerland. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011.
The current mile world record is held by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran a time of three minutes 3:43.13 seconds in Rome on July 7, 1999.
Photo Credit: Telegraph.co.uk
