A MEMORIAL for Oxford’s Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub-four minute mile, is to be unveiled at Westminster Abbey.
The feat was widely believed to be beyond human capability until Mr Bannister achieved it on May 6, 1954.
He ran the distance in three minutes and 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track.
He won a Commonwealth and a European Championship gold medal later that year.
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Mr Bannister, who died in March 2018 at the age of 88, went on to become a distinguished neurologist and always felt his work as a scientist outshone his achievements in athletics.
He specialised in the study and treatment of the automatic nervous system, which controls the body’s automatic functions such as heartbeat, blood pressure and digestion.
His memorial ledger stone will be dedicated in Scientists’ Corner in the nave of the abbey, alongside the graves of Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Professor Stephen Hawking.
The Dean of Westminster, Reverend David Hoyle, said: “Throughout his life, Sir Roger Bannister reached out for that which lay beyond.
“As a sportsman, pushing himself towards a prize some considered beyond human reach, as a scientist ever eager for deeper understanding of neurology.
“We are delighted that his memory and his achievement will be set in stone in the abbey.
“He ran the race set before us all.”
Mr Bannister’s son, Clive, added: “My father served as a physician, teacher and researcher – in this last role seeking to find the causes and treatments of illnesses in his field and extend general scientific understanding of the human mind and body.
“In sport, one ambition he fulfilled was to show people how much they could achieve if they rejected artificial barriers.
“His medical and athletic careers were interwoven.
“He sought to bring more people into sport at every level as an enduring source of health and fulfilment.
“My hope is that when individuals view this memorial in future they will draw inspiration from it in their own lives by reflecting on the essence of his – the full use of his gifts for the betterment of others.”
The memorial is due to be unveiled in a small ceremony involving members of Mr Bannister’s family on September 28, and from then on will be visible to the public.
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