Roger Bannister Passes Away Aged 88: The First Person to Run a Mile in Under 4 Minutes Dies at his Home in Oxford
Talking at the commemoration of his run’s 50th anniversary, Bannister said that it was his contribution in the field of medicines as a neurologist that made him feel prouder than his 1952 record sub-4-minute mile run.
Famed British athlete, Roger Bannister, passed away on March 3, at the age of 88. Bannister, who was also a Doctor and an Academic, breath his last at his home in Oxford, on Saturday. Bannister was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011. The great British athlete set a record of being the first person to run the sub-4-minute mile in history.
Bannister came into limelight when he participated in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and set a record for British in the 1500 metres; he finished fourth in that race. Moving on, he went on to become the first person in history to run a mile in under four minutes. His record run took place at a meet between British Amateur Athletics Association and Oxford University on May 6, 1954. Acknowledging his achievements, current United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted:
Not many people know that he was practising as a junior doctor when he ran the record run. Bannister completed his historic run in only 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Citing unfavourable weather conditions during the day of the event, Bannister had twice denied running in the race. However, the weather improved just before the race began, and the rest they say is history.
Bannister’s record didn’t stand the test of time, as his record lasted for only 46 days. However, he had already registered his name in the record books by then. He was also the first Chairman of the Sports Council (now Sport England); he was also given the honour of ‘knight’ for his distinguished service. After his illustrious athletic career, he practised medical science for nearly four decades.
Bannister retired from his medical profession in the year 1993. Talking at the commemoration of his run’s 50th anniversary, Bannister said that it was his contribution in the field of medicines as a neurologist that made him feel prouder than his 1952 record sub-4-minute mile run.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2018 11:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).