Sir Roger Bannister was born on September 24, 1928, in London. He became interested in athletics at an early age and by the time he was seventeen years old, had already set several world records for the mile. He enrolled at Oxford University in 1946 where he studied history and physics. In 1954, he began training with a coach, to prepare himself for a race against the world's best runners
On May 6, 1954, Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 – a record that would stand for over twenty-four years – and earned a place in history as one of the first people to run a mile under four minutes. In addition to establishing the 4 minute mile as a world record, Bannister also became the first person to win gold medals in both the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. In 1960 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
However ordinary each of us may seem, we are all in some way special, and can do things that are extraordinary, perhaps until then…even thought impossible.Roger Bannister
The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.Roger Bannister
It is the brain, not the heart or lungs, that is the critical organRoger Bannister
