Bannister’s chance came on May 6th, 1954. Lots of runners were hot on his heels, including his main rival, Australian John Landy. It was a race to the bottom and Bannister wanted to win. He started to see it as possible.īut Bannister wasn’t the only one going for it. He was seconds off of breaking the four minute barrier. He trained for half an hour a day, doing intense speed workouts. Not just hard, or dangerous, but impossible.īannister decided to do it – to run a mile in less than four minutes.Ī literally impossible feat – something that had never been done. Some doctors and scientists said it was physically impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes. In the 1940s, the record for running a mile had reached 4:01. He decided to use his pain and humiliation to drive himself forward and push his limits. In the end, he decided to prove to himself, and to everyone else, that he could do better. He Failed To Medal At The OlympicsĪnd he was gutted – so much so that he spent the next two months deciding whether or not to quit running. Everyone expected him to win.īut, at the last minute, the schedule was changed, disrupting Bannister’s resting routine and he came in fourth. At this point, expectations were high – Bannister expected to win the 1500 meters. While he declined to compete in the 1948 Olympics, watching it inspired him to push forward & compete in the 1952 Olympics. While he was at university, the press got wind of his talent. He discovered he had a talent for running and knuckled down to train. He decided to win a university scholarship – which he did. His hard work paid off – he won a track scholarship to Oxford University. Needless to say – if war is the only thing you’re looking forward to – things aren’t looking to great for your story. He thought it would ‘liven things up a bit’.
He wanted to study medicine, but he knew his parents would never be able to afford to send him to university.īy the time he was ten, he thought life was so boring that he was actually pleased about the second World War. Bannister Opened The Door For Others To Do The Impossible As Wellīannister came from an ordinary working class family.Bannister’s chance came on May 6th, 1954.Bannister wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
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