Roger Bannister

Sir Roger Bannister (1929 to 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance runner who ran the first mile in under four minutes. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki he set a British record in the 1500 metres and finished fourth, a result that hardened his resolve to break the four-minute barrier. He did it on 6 May 1954 at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, paced by Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher, while working as a junior doctor and training very little. He later became a neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, retiring in 1993. Asked whether the mile was his proudest achievement, he said he was prouder of his contribution to academic medicine through research into how the nervous system responds. He was patron of the MSA Trust and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.