Competitor for  England and  Great Britain British Empire and Commonwealth Games Gold 1954 Vancouver 1 mile European Championships Gold 1954 Bern 1.500 metres Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE (born 23 March, 1929) is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes. Bannister became a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 2001..