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UK Athlete Roger Bannister Dies Aged 88 – Reports

© REUTERS / David Bebber/File PhotoSir Roger Bannister walks over the same finish line at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford that he crossed fifty years ago when he was the first man to run the sub four minute mile, May 6, 2004
Sir Roger Bannister walks over the same finish line at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford that he crossed fifty years ago when he was the first man to run the sub four minute mile, May 6, 2004 - Sputnik International
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The world of sports has lost one of its most legendary figures - Sir Roger Bannister. He was the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes.

Roger Bannister, British athlete, has died aged 88. He is known for being the first man to run a mile with the time of 3.59.4, set at Iffley Road sports ground in Oxford on 6 May 1954. Roger Bannister also won gold over the same distance at the 1954 Commonwealth Games.

In 2011 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

"I have seen, and looked after, patients with so many neurological and other disorders that I am not surprised I have acquired an illness," he said.

Bannister specialized in running medium distances. He participated in the European track-and-field championship in 1950 in Brussels, where he won a bronze medal running a distance of 800 meters.

READ MORE: Russian Freediver Swims Record 100 Meters Under Baikal's Half-Meter-Thick Ice

In 1954, Bannister became the European champion in the 1,500-meter race at the European Championships in Bern, after which he retired from the big sport.

After finishing his sports career, Bannister becomes a well-known neurologist, but still continuing to co-operate with the various sports organizations.

In 1975, Bannister was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was also the director of the National Clinic for Nervous Diseases in London and has published scientific periodicals in the field of neurology.

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