Roger Bannister

Roger Bannister
Bannister in 2009
Personal information
Full nameRoger Gilbert Bannister
Born(1929-03-23)23 March 1929
Harrow, England[1]
Died3 March 2018(2018-03-03) (aged 88)
Oxford, England
Resting placeWolvercote Cemetery, Oxford, England
EducationExeter College, Oxford
Height187 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight70 kg (154 lb)[1]
Master of Pembroke College, Oxford
In office
1985–1993
Preceded byGeoffrey Arthur
Succeeded byRobert Stevens
Sport
Country Great Britain
Sport
Events
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Representing  England
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1954 Vancouver 1 mile
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1954 Bern 1500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1950 Brussels 800 m

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister CH CBE FRCP (23 March 1929 – 3 March 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile.

At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres and finished in fourth place. This achievement strengthened his resolve to become the first athlete to finish the mile run in under four minutes. He accomplished this feat on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford, with Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher providing the pacing. When the announcer, Norris McWhirter, declared "The time was three...", the cheers of the crowd drowned out Bannister's exact time, which was 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. He had attained this record with minimal training, while practising as a junior doctor. Bannister's record lasted just 46 days.

Bannister went on to become a neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 1993. As Master of Pembroke, he was on the governing body of Abingdon School from 1986 to 1993.[3] When asked whether the 4-minute mile was his proudest achievement, he said he felt prouder of his contribution to academic medicine through research into the responses of the nervous system. Bannister was patron of the MSA Trust. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "Roger Bannister at sports-reference.com". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  2. ^ All-Athletics. "Profile of Roger Bannister". Archived from the original on 4 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Abingdon School Athletics" (PDF). The Abingdonian. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 October 2018.
  4. ^ Sale, Jerome (2 May 2014). "Sir Roger Bannister reveals Parkinson's disease battle". BBC News.