Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Bannister Sir Roger Bannister in 2009 Personal information Full name Roger Gilbert Bannister Nationality British Born (1929-03-23) 23 March 1929 (age 85) Harrow, England, United Kingdom Height 6'2" (187 cm) Weight 154 lbs (70 kg) Sport Sport Track Event(s) 800m, 1500m, Mile Achievements and titles Personal best(s) 800 metres: 1:50.7 1500 metres: 3:43.8 Mile: 3:58.8 Medal record Competitor for  England and  Great Britain British Empire and Commonwealth Games Gold 1954 Vancouver 1 mile European Championships Gold 1954 Bern 1,500 metres Bronze 1950 Brussels 800 m Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE (born 23 March 1929) is an English former athlete, physician and academic, who ran the first sub-four-minute mile. In the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres, but did not win the medal he expected. The humiliation strengthened his resolve to be the first 4-minute miler. He achieved it on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road Track in Oxford, with Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher providing the pacing. When the announcer declared "The time was three...", the cheers of the crowd drowned-out the details of the result, which was 3 min 59.4 sec. Bannister's record lasted 46 days. More notable was that he had reached this record with so little training, while practising as a junior doctor. Bannister went on to become a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 1993. 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 is patron of The MSA Trust. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.