Athletics stars salute their ‘grand doyen’
The sport’s greats have paid tribute to Sir Roger Bannister who has died at 88, writes Ben Bloom
Sir Roger Bannister was yesterday hailed as a “trailblazer” who “made the impossible possible” after the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile died aged 88. Despite juggling work as a full-time junior doctor, he managed something many thought humans incapable of in clocking three minutes, 59.4 seconds for the mile at Oxford University’s Iffley Road track in 1954.
That feat – heralded by Olympic 10,000m medallist Brendan Foster as “a great moment in British history” – cemented Bannister’s place among the most revered athletes of all time, prompting many within the sport to pay tribute to a man who served as an inspiration.
“He really was such a great pioneer,” said Paula Radcliffe, the marathon world record holder. “I was honoured to meet him, and, like anyone in athletics, that meant a lot to me because he really was a trailblazer – in all senses.
“Anyone in athletics, but particularly distance runners, will have been inspired by him. He broke down a barrier.
“What he did on the academic side, as well, was so impressive – combining study and sport. I grew up hearing stories about him, learning his story, and to meet him was a real privilege.”
Seb Coe, International Association of Athletics Federations president, said: “This is a day of intense sadness both for our nation and all of us in athletics.
“There is not a single athlete of my generation who was not inspired by Roger and his achievements both on and off the track. He made the impossible possible. His achievement transcended sport, not just athletics. We had world record holders for the mile before, but the very fact he managed to do it gave people like myself, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett the massive inspiration to emulate.”
Cram, who followed in Bannister’s footsteps by becoming European 1500m champion, added: “I was lucky enough to meet him when I was very young, and he was incredibly supportive. His achievement in 1954 inspired so many people.
“He’s the grand doyen of middle-distance running as to this day, people are still trying to break the four-minute mile and most of them will know who the first guy to do it was.”
Bannister had begun the morning of May 6, 1954 working as usual in a London hospital before travelling by train to the race in Oxford.
By the time he lined up on the cinder track, the forecast rain and wind had subsided, and he was paced to the record-breaking feat by Chris Brasher, who went on to co-found the London Marathon, and Chris Chataway.
Brasher’s son, Hugh, the London Marathon event director, said: “He has to be, I believe, right at the very top of the
‘There is not a single athlete of my generation who was not inspired by his achievements’
athletics pantheon. It is often said that it was one of the greatest sporting achievements of the 20th century, so when you put it into that context, I think people start to understand it.
“He absolutely believed about what your mind can do. If you can believe, you can do.”
After his racing career, Bannister went on to become a distinguished neurologist, working well into his 80s.
As chairman of the British Sports Council in the 1970s, he was also instrumental in initiating the first testing processes for anabolic steroids.
“He was really an incredible man,” said Hugh Brasher. “The legacy he left in his life, not only in athletics but also in medicine, cannot be overstated.
“It’s difficult, in a way, for us 64 years later to understand the context of it all. This is Britain, rationing had been going on, coming out of the war. This lifted the spirits of a nation.
“He was incredibly erudite, incredibly well read, kind, just a wonderful man, a polymath in many ways. To achieve what he did, and be how he was, is quite incredible.”