Tributes pour in for first sub-fourminute miler Sir Roger Bannister.

‘INSPIRATION’: First man to run a sub-four minute mile

Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub-four minute mile, has died at the age of 88.

Bannister, aided by Sir Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher as pacemakers, achieved a feat widely viewed at the time as impossible by running three minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track in Oxford on May 6 1954.

Bannister, who also won a Commonwealth and European Championship gold medal that year, went on to become a leading neurologist.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011.

Bannister died on Saturday at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the same hospital he trained at as a medical student.

His family said in a statement that Bannister “died peacefully... 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.”

Lord Coe, who followed in Bannister’s footsteps by breaking the mile world record three times, paid tribute to an inspirational man, describing him as a “giant”.

“On May 6 1954, Roger made the impossible possible,” Coe, now the president of athletics’ world governing body the IAAF, said on iaaf.org.

“One year after the coronation of a young Queen Elizabeth II and after man conquered Everest, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile with the help of his friends Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher.

“The world’s best runners had been attempting the four-minute barrier for a quarter of a century. It was as much of a psychological barrier as it was a physical barrier.

“Bannister’s assault allowed mankind to enter a world filled with new possibilities.

“His achievement transcended sport, let alone athletics.

“It was a moment in history that lifted the heart of a nation and boosted morale in a world that was still at a low ebb after the war.”

Four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah described Bannister as “always humble, supportive and encouraging” and “an inspiration to so many”.

Bannister is survived by his wife Moyra, two sons and two daughters.

Sir Roger was 88.