Mile News


Beating John Landy stands above record: Roger Bannister

May 06, 2014

“Vancouver was the pinnacle of my athletics career. It is very difficult to break records during Olympic competition, but winning races was better than holding world records.”

By AFP for The Australian

Sixty years since becoming the first man to run a Mile in under four minutes, Roger Bannister has said defeating Australia's John Landy to win Commonwealth Games gold was a greater achievement.

It was at the Iffley Road track in Oxford that Bannister achieved sporting immortality by running a Mile in a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds on May 6, 1954.

But defeating Landy — who had lowered the Mile mark just 46 days after the Briton's record-breaking feat — at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver was the superior feat in Bannister's opinion.

“I think that racing in the Olympics and Commonwealths is more important than breaking records,” Bannister said, with the current Mile world record held by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in a time of 3:43.13 secs.

“Vancouver was the pinnacle of my athletics career. It is very difficult to break records during Olympic competition, but winning races was better than holding world records.”

Having suffered the disappointment of coming fourth in the final of the 1500 meters (0.932 miles) at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister was determined to do better at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games (now known simply as the Commonwealth Games).

Continue reading at: www.theaustralian.com

Tags: roger bannister (174) , john landy (35)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!