Seventy years ago this week the only two men to have – at the time – run sub-four minute miles, England’s Roger Bannister and Australia’s John Landy, competed against one other for the first time at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The race became known as “The Miracle Mile.”
This iconic shot is by Sports Illustrated‘s Mark Kauffman and is from the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games on August 7, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The man out front is England’s Roger Bannister, the first to break four minutes in the mile. This race, dubbed the “Miracle Mile,” featured the only other man have broken four minutes to date, Australia’s John Landy. Bannister won, Landy took second, and Canada’s Rich Ferguson took third. Later that year, Bannister became Sports Illustrated‘s first-ever “Sportsman of the Year.”
The image above was captured by Sports Illustrated‘s Mark Kauffman, one of it’s founding photographers.
You’ll note that Bannister is out front and Landy does not appear in the frame. That’s because Landy was leading and it was not until the latter half of the final lap that Bannister passed his rival. That move, when Landy looked over his left shoulder and Bannister moved by on his right, was commemorated in the statue (image at bottom of this page).
Both men again broke four minutes.
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