On March 3, 2018, it was announced that Sir Roger Bannister passed away peacefully in Oxford, England at the age of 88 ^[1].

Starting his athletic career at age 17, most will remember Bannister as the first athlete to break the four minute mile in 1954. Shortly after that, came his "Miracle Mile" victory over John Landy, which took place at the 1954 British and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, BC ^[2]. In 1967, a statue of Bannister was erected at Hastings Park to commemorate the Commonweath Games moment ^[3]. 

While he had an impressive athletic record, his other achievements were lesser known. After retiring from athletics, Bannister went on to become a distinguished neurologist, publishing more than 80 papers ^[4]. Although he had been diagnosed in 2011, it was not until 2014 that he publicly announced he had Parkinson's disease.  

Thankfully, his decades of neurological training, clinical work and research made him an expert on the disease many years before he was told he had Parkinson's. When asked about his diagnosis, Bannister replied, "I am being well looked after and I don't intend to let it interfere - as much as I can." ^[5]

To read more about Sir Roger Bannister's life, we recommend this detailed article from The New York Times: Sir Roger Bannister, First Athlete to Break 4-Minute Mile, Dies at 88.

Sources:

[1] The Independent. Sir Roger Bannister dead: Athlete who brok four-minute mile dies aged 88. Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/sir-roger-bannister-dead-four-minute-mile-age-oxford-a8238871.html

[2] Miracle Mile 1954. Bannister vs. Landy. Retrieved from: http://www.miraclemile1954.com/

[3] Global News. Roger Bannister, famed runner who ran Miracle Mile in Vancouver, dead at 88. Retrieved from: https://globalnews.ca/news/4061567/roger-bannister-famed-runner-who-ran-miracle-mile-in-vancouver-dead-at-88/ 

[4] Wikipedia. Roger Bannister. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bannister

[5] Daily Mail. 'It was a moment in history that lifted the heart of the nation': Lord Coe leads tributes to athletics legend Sir Roger Bannister as the first man to run a four-minute mile dies aged 88. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5460015/Sir-Roger-Bannister-dies-aged-88-Oxford.html