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Lord Coe pays tribute to Sir Roger Bannister

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IOC President Lord Coe says Roger Bannister created a legacy in athletics in the United Kingdom

Lord Coe has paid tribute to Sir Roger Bannister, who has died at the age of 88.

Bannister became the first man to break the four-minute mile barrier in 1954 when he ran the distance in three minutes 59.4 seconds.

Sir Roger Bannister dies aged 88
Sir Roger Bannister dies aged 88

Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, has died at the age of 88, his family has confirmed.

Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and a double Olympic gold medal winner in the 1500m, described Bannister's famous run as a "Herculean achievement."

"He created the most extraordinary legacy, particularly for middle-distance running in the United Kingdom," Lord Coe told Sky.

Sir Roger Bannister and Lord Coe
Image: Lord Coe and Sir Roger Bannister pictured on the 50th anniversary of Bannister breaking the four-minute mile

"This is a sad day for the nation. You don't have to be an athletics aficionado to know the enormity of the Herculean achievement on that track in Oxford in 1954.

"There were other great moments in his career but that is what he will be remembered for.

Lord Coe minute's applause for Sir Roger Bannister
Image: Lord Coe joined in a minute's applause for Sir Roger Bannister at the World Indoor Athletics Championships

"He was a clever man, he was a modest man, and no athlete of my generation, particularly an athlete who had ambitions towards middle-distance running, will ever see Roger as anything other than the senior partner.

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"He is a mountainous figure in world athletics as well."

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