Bannister Sir Roger
Bannister Sir Roger (1929). British athlete. On 6 May 1954 he became the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes (3 minutes 59.4 seconds), and subsequently improved on that time. By 1993 the world record for the mile was 3 minutes 4.39 seconds. A neurologist by profession, he later held a number of senior academic positions. In 1995 he caused controversy by suggesting that Black athletes may have innate physical advantages.
