Roger Bannister, a gentleman who almost didn’t run race that defined him | Sean Ingle

Bad weather almost meant Roger Bannister did not set the benchmark many thought physically impossible

Even now, 64 years on, 3:59.4 is a number recognisable to every sports fan – and one that instantly unlocks sepia images in the mind’s eye. Of Sir Roger Bannister hurling his body across the line in a desperate bid to make history. Of an expectant crowd around him. And then the deafening roar – and the sweetest release – as the crowd hears he has become the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.

Related: 'We have lost a giant': athletics world hails Sir Roger Bannister

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CYELX3