Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Monday 5 March 2018

BANNISTER final won by Josy Barthel of
Continued from Page 18 Luxembourg.
The rest was drowned out Had he won Olympic gold
by the roar of the crowd. that day, Bannister almost
The 3 was all that mattered. certainly would have re-
Bannister had just become tired. But, criticized by the
the first runner to break the British media and disap-
mythical 4-minute barrier in pointed in his own perfor-
the mile — a feat of speed mance, he decided to
and endurance that stands keep running, dedicat-
as one of the seminal sport- ing himself to beating the
ing achievements of the 4-minute mile and win-
20th century. ning gold at the '54 Empire
The black-and-white image Games.
of Bannister, eyes closed, By 1954, Hagg's record mile
head back, mouth wide time had stood for nine
open, straining across the years. Bannister, Landy
tape at Oxford's Iffley Road and American miler Wes
track, endures as a defining Santee were all threaten-
snapshot of a transcendent ing to break the mark and
moment in track and field it became a matter of who
history. would get there first.
Bannister died peacefully "As it became clear that
in Oxford on Saturday at In this file photo dated Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, former British athlete Roger Bannister poses somebody was going to do
the age of 88. He was "sur- for a picture during the launch of the Westminster Mile run, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of it, I felt that I would prefer it
rounded by his family who Bannister's record of being the first man to run a sub-four minute mile in May 1954, at Paddington to be me," Bannister said in
Recreation Ground in London.
were as loved by him, as Associated Press an AP interview.
he was loved by them," the He also wanted to deliver
family said in a statement fiercest rival. logical barrier." ning and beat the field by something special for his
Sunday. "He banked his While he will forever be Bannister was born on 20 yards. country.
treasure in the hearts of his remembered for his run- March 23, 1929, in the Lon- "I knew from this day that "I thought it would be right
friends." ning, Bannister considered don borough of Harrow. At I could develop this new- for Britain to try to get this,"
British Prime Minister There- his long medical career in the outbreak of World War found ability," he reflected Bannister said in 2012. "There
sa May remembered Ban- neurology as his life's great- II, the family moved to the in later life. was a feeling of patriotism.
nister as a "British sporting est accomplishment. city of Bath, where Bannis- With the 1948 London Our new queen had been
icon whose achievements "My medical work has been ter sometimes ran to and Olympics approaching, crowned the year before,
were an inspiration to us all. my achievement and my from school. Bannister was running mile Everest had been climbed
He will be greatly missed." family with 14 grandchil- Bannister's passion for run- times of around 4:10. The in 1953. Although I tried in
Bannister's time of 3 min- dren," he said. "Those are ning took off in 1945 when 19-year-old was selected 1953, I broke the British re-
utes, 59.4 seconds cap- real achievements." his father took him to a as a "possible" for the British cord, but not the 4-minute
tured the world's imagi- The quest to break the track meet at London's Olympic team, but decid- mile, and so everything was
nation and buoyed the 4-minute mile carried a White City Stadium, which ed he wasn't ready and fo- ready in 1954."
spirits of Britons still suffering special mystique. The num- was built to host the 1908 cused on preparing for the Bannister scheduled his at-
through post-war austerity. bers were easy for the pub- Olympics. They watched 1952 Helsinki Games. tempt for May 6 during a
"It's amazing that more lic to grasp: 1 mile, 4 laps, 4 British middle-distance star By then, Bannister was a meet between Oxford and
people have climbed minutes. Sydney Wooderson, who full-time medical student the Amateur Athletic Union.
Mount Everest than have When Sweden's Gunder had emerged as a rival to and had to juggle his stud- He started the day at the
broken the 4-minute mile," Hagg ran 4:01.4 in 1945, the trio of Swedish runners ies with his training. By mod- St. Mary's Hospital lab in
Bannister said in an inter- the chase was truly on. But, who had taken the mile ern standards, his daily London, where he sharp-
view with The Associated time and again, runners world record down close to half-hour workout was re- ened his spikes and rubbed
Press in 2012. came up short. The 4-min- the 4-minute mark. markably light. graphite on them so they
Bannister followed up his ute mark seemed like a "I made up my mind then Bannister was considered wouldn't pick up too much
4-minute milestone a few brick wall that would never when I got to Oxford, I the favorite for the Helsinki of the track's cinder ash.
months later by beating be toppled. would take up running seri- gold in the 1,500 meters — He took a midmorning train
Australia's John Landy in Bannister was undaunted. ously," Bannister said. the shorter metric mile dis- from Paddington Station to
the "Miracle Mile" or "Mile "There was no logic in my As a first-year student on tance run in the Olympics. Oxford.
of the Century" at the Em- mind that if you can run an academic scholarship Just before the games, he The weather was dank and
pire Games in Vancouver, a mile in 4 minutes, 1 and at Oxford, Bannister caught learned that organizers had miserable. Bannister's Aus-
British Columbia with both 2/5ths, you can't run it his coaches' attention while added an extra round of trian coach, Franz Stampfl,
men going under 4 minutes. in 3:59," he said. "I knew running as a pacemaker in heats, meaning he would told him this might be his
Bannister regarded that as enough medicine and a mile race on March 22, have to run on three con- best chance. When the
his greatest race because physiology to know it wasn't 1947. Instead of dropping secutive days. flag started to billow gen-
it came in a competitive a physical barrier, but I think out of the race as pacers With his rhythm thrown off, tly, he decided it was now
championship against his it had become a psycho- normally do, he kept run- Bannister finished fourth in a or never.q