Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, has died at the age of 88, his family has confirmed.
Bannister, who broke the four-minute barrier at Iffley Road in Oxford in 1954, passed away on Saturday after battling Parkinson’s Disease in his later years.
A statement released on behalf of Sir Roger’s 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.”
Aided by British team-mates Sir Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher as pacemakers, Bannister achieved the world’s first sub-four minute mile by running three minutes 59.4 seconds.
He would lose his place as the only sub-four minute runner just over a month later, but got revenge on new world record holder John Landy at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancover in a race dubbed the Miracle Mile.
Australian Landy led for most of the race but Bannister passed him on the final bend and won the race by nearly a second, both men going under four minutes and Bannister running a career-best 3:58.8.
Bannister also won a European Championship gold medal that year but brought an end to his athletics career before the end of 1954 and went on to become a leading neurologist.
He also became the first chairman of the body now known as Sport England (formerly the Sports Council) and was knighted for his services in 1975.
