Who is the ultimate Supermiler?
As the 60th anniversary of the first sub-4 minute Mile approaches, tell us who you believe to be the leading Miler of all-time
From Athletics Weekly
Roger Bannister’s 3:59.4 Mile of almost 60 years ago is one of the most revered performances in athletics history.
Being the first man to run a sub-4 minute Mile certainly puts Bannister up there as one of the leading Milers of all-time but it is an honor that could go to a number of super talented middle-distance runners.
In the special issue of AW in 2004 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bannister’s record-breaking run at Oxford’s Iffley Road, we published the results of a poll conducted by Athletics Weekly and involving 22 athletics experts. A scoring system was used to determine which of the experts’ top five supermilers deserved to be declared the ultimate supermiler, with Sebastian Coe eventually claiming gold, ahead of Herb Elliott and Hicham El Guerrouj.
During his lengthy career, Coe won the Olympic 1500m in 1980 and 1984 and broke the world Mile record in 1979 and twice in 1981. Elliott was undefeated over the Mile distance, broke the world record and won the 1960 Olympic 1500m title in stunning fashion, while El Guerrouj’s world record 3:43.13 was run in 1999 and is yet to be beaten.
But then there are the British greats Steve Cram and Steve Ovett, while Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop could now also demand some consideration following his domination over 1500m at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, as well as his eventual gold at the 2008 Olympic Games.
To continue, how about the likes of Saïd Aouita, Filbert Bayi, Walter George, Gunder Hägg, Kip Keino, Jack Lovelock, Noureddine Morceli, Jim Ryun, Peter Snell, John Walker, Steve Scott and Sydney Wooderson?
Find out how to share your choice here: www.athleticsweekly.com
