Roger bannister family1/9/2024 ![]() It was during this race that he tapped a hidden source of energy that he always suspected he had and won the race by twenty yards in a time of 4 minutes and 30.8 seconds.Ĭombining his studies and sport was a struggle, but Roger got involved in Oxford sporting administration where he served as secretary and then as president of the University Athletic Club. On March 22, 1947, Roger was selected as the third string for Oxford in the mile race against Cambridge at White City Stadium. ![]() The loss was disappointing, but he was satisfied that he was on his way and began to run some cross-country races. He came in second in the freshman’s mile race in November of that year with a modest time of 4 minutes 52 seconds. These slights hurt, but Roger was not discouraged. He knew he wanted to be a runner.Īn Exeter groundsman made an invidious comparison between him and Jack Lovelock, a great miler for Oxford, and he was snubbed by the middle-distance coach for Oxford. One of the first things that he did was join the university athletic club. Roger arrived at Oxford in early October 1946. Early in 1946, Roger received a handwritten acceptance letter from the Rector of Exeter College, Oxford offering him a place at the college to read medicine. John’s College tutor, Roger was diverted to Oxford. In January 1946, Roger sat for his Cambridge scholarship exams and was accepted. Roger entered a half-mile race and won by some thirty yards. Occasionally, when the ground proved too hard to play rugby, UCS created an impromptu sports day. Rugby, cricket, and rowing were the three sports played at UCS. Realizing that he was at a disadvantage since he began at UCS halfway through the term, Roger made full use of the UCS and the Harrow public libraries. His family returned to London even though it was being bombed again. Several hundred people were killed.Īs a result of his high grades, Roger won a direct grant place to University College School (UCS) in Hampstead. After two nights of bombings, Roger’s parents, along with other families, took him and his sister and camped in the woods overnight. In 1942, Roger’s house was damaged during an attack on Bath. He won the junior cross-country cup three times. It was there that he took an interest in cross-country running. There were no openings in the historic Bath Grammar School and Roger was offered a place at the Bath City Secondary School. Roger’s father’s department was relocated in Bath. Plans were made to send as many government departments as possible to safer cities. The government imagined that London would suffer a huge number of casualties through gas attacks and bombing. When World War II started on September 1, 1939, every family in Roger’s town was issued gas masks and instructed to go to the shelters where emergency food rations were stored inside. Only books of the ‘look and learn’ variety were in his family’s library. He and Joyce, his only sibling and older sister, were not permitted to read comics or dramatic children’s books. ![]() His classroom was large and seldom had fewer than fifty students. In 1935, Roger entered Harrow Elementary School. ![]() He was the son of Ralph Bannister, a clerical officer at the Board of Trade in London, and his wife Alice Duckworth. Roger Gilbert Bannister was born on Main Harrow, England. these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential. In 1954, he was presented with the inaugural Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Award, one of the few given to a non-American, knighted in 1975 by Queen Elizabeth II, appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for his service to sport, and awarded the title, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to medicine. ![]() Roger was highly respected by his country and fans worldwide. Billed as “The Miracle Mile” race, he beat Landy and won with a time of 3 minutes, 58.8 seconds. On August 7, 1954, Roger ran for England in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C. Australian John Landy broke his record with a time of 3 minutes, 58 seconds. In as much as Roger was famous as a record-setter in the mile race, he was also noted for having one of the most short-lived records: forty-six days. On May 6, 1954, attempting a feat that had been regarded as impossible, he was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes with a time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was one of the most renown middle distance runners in sports history. ![]()
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