News06 May 2004


IAAF President’s personal message to Sir Roger Bannister

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Lamine Diack and Roger Bannister meet at a special sub-4 minute mile dinner in London prior to the 2004 London Marathon (© c)

MonteCarloWe are pleased to publish the letter sent today from IAAF President Lamine Diack to Sir Roger Bannister to mark the 50th Anniversary of the running of the world’s first sub-four minute mile.

Dear Roger,

It was a great pleasure for me to be with you two weeks ago on the occasion of the London Marathon and although I cannot be in Oxford today, I wanted to write to you and add my personal congratulations, and those of the World Athletics Family who I represent, on this very special occasion.

On May 6 1954, I was a footballer in my native Senegal but I still recall hearing the news that a young man in England had achieved what had been considered impossible – he had run 1 mile – 4 laps of the track - in less than 4 minutes. It was a sensation.

There is no question in my mind that the drama, excitement and publicity caused by this single race helped form the development of modern athletics.  This race was a turning point in our history and the amount of Media coverage that this 50th anniversary has caused shows that even today the world remains fascinated by the achievement.

By running 3:59.4 and breaking a barrier that had been considered unbreakable, Roger Bannister had also transcended sport and became an eternal symbol of the limitless possibilities of the human mind and body. Bannister and his famous pacemakers Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher had been carefully prepared by their coach Franz Stampfl, but they still needed to take a great leap of faith to turn what had been a dream into reality.

Following that epic race 50 years ago, you went on to build a highly successful career in the demanding field of neurology, but you also continued to stay closely involved in sport. Your love for sport as a means of realising human potential and spreading joy has been evident to me on every one of the occasions we have met in the past years.

I would like to close this letter by thanking you again and inviting you and your wife as my guests at the 2004 edition of the World Athletics Final and Gala in Monaco on the weekend of 18 and 19 September, where the IAAF will be proud to honour your achievements again.

Yours sincerely,
Lamine Diack
IAAF President

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