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Examples of Sports - Roger Bannister

Doctors and scientists said breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt - Roger Bannister -

Index

Roger Bannister's background

What makes Roger Bannister such a great example?

Roger Bannister's background

Roger Bannister was the first man in sporting history to break the four-minute mile barrier, running a mile in 3:59.4 on 6 May 1954 despite a strong crosswind. A medical student at the time, he retired from competitive athletics at the end of that same year to become a full-time neurologist, a career he later said he was prouder of than the record that made him famous.

What makes Roger Bannister such a great example?

Roger Bannister makes a good example of a single, precisely timed feat that had been declared physically impossible by doctors and scientists right up until the moment he did it, followed almost immediately by a deliberate turn away from athletics altogether and into medicine.

The chart shown is the birth of Roger Bannister, set at midday, with the time his career ended as transits, set at 6:31am.