Twin Tracks: The Autobiography
It was a blustery late spring day in 1954 and a young Oxford medical student flung himself over the line in a mile race. There was an agonising pause, and then the timekeeper announced the record: three minutes, fifty-nine point four seconds. But no one heard anything after that first word - 'three'. One of the most iconic barriers of sport had been broken, and Roger Bannister had become the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. To this day, more men have conquered Mount Everest than have achieved what the slender, unassuming student managed that afternoon. Sixty years on and the letters still arrive on Roger Bannister's doormat, letters testifying to the enduring appeal of the four-minute mile and the example it set for the generation of budding athletes who were inspired to attempt the impossible. In this frank memoir, Sir Roger tells the full story of the talent and dedication that made him not just one of the most celebrated athletes of the last century but also a distinguished doctor, neurologist and one of the nation's best-loved public figures. With characteristically trenchant views on drugs in sport, the nature of modern athletics and record breaking, the extraordinary explosion in running as a leisure activity, and the Olympic legacy, this rare and brilliant autobiography gives a fascinating insight into the life of a man who has lived life to the fullest.
1119275056
Twin Tracks: The Autobiography
It was a blustery late spring day in 1954 and a young Oxford medical student flung himself over the line in a mile race. There was an agonising pause, and then the timekeeper announced the record: three minutes, fifty-nine point four seconds. But no one heard anything after that first word - 'three'. One of the most iconic barriers of sport had been broken, and Roger Bannister had become the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. To this day, more men have conquered Mount Everest than have achieved what the slender, unassuming student managed that afternoon. Sixty years on and the letters still arrive on Roger Bannister's doormat, letters testifying to the enduring appeal of the four-minute mile and the example it set for the generation of budding athletes who were inspired to attempt the impossible. In this frank memoir, Sir Roger tells the full story of the talent and dedication that made him not just one of the most celebrated athletes of the last century but also a distinguished doctor, neurologist and one of the nation's best-loved public figures. With characteristically trenchant views on drugs in sport, the nature of modern athletics and record breaking, the extraordinary explosion in running as a leisure activity, and the Olympic legacy, this rare and brilliant autobiography gives a fascinating insight into the life of a man who has lived life to the fullest.
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Twin Tracks: The Autobiography

Twin Tracks: The Autobiography

by Roger Bannister
Twin Tracks: The Autobiography

Twin Tracks: The Autobiography

by Roger Bannister

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Overview

It was a blustery late spring day in 1954 and a young Oxford medical student flung himself over the line in a mile race. There was an agonising pause, and then the timekeeper announced the record: three minutes, fifty-nine point four seconds. But no one heard anything after that first word - 'three'. One of the most iconic barriers of sport had been broken, and Roger Bannister had become the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. To this day, more men have conquered Mount Everest than have achieved what the slender, unassuming student managed that afternoon. Sixty years on and the letters still arrive on Roger Bannister's doormat, letters testifying to the enduring appeal of the four-minute mile and the example it set for the generation of budding athletes who were inspired to attempt the impossible. In this frank memoir, Sir Roger tells the full story of the talent and dedication that made him not just one of the most celebrated athletes of the last century but also a distinguished doctor, neurologist and one of the nation's best-loved public figures. With characteristically trenchant views on drugs in sport, the nature of modern athletics and record breaking, the extraordinary explosion in running as a leisure activity, and the Olympic legacy, this rare and brilliant autobiography gives a fascinating insight into the life of a man who has lived life to the fullest.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781849547383
Publisher: The Robson Press
Publication date: 04/17/2014
Sold by: Bookwire
Format: eBook
Pages: 374
File size: 4 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Roger Bannister: Sir Roger Bannister CBE is a former Olympic athlete who is best known for being the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. Later becoming a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, he is now retired and lives in Oxford.

Table of Contents

Contents
Preface ix
Chapter 1 Growing Up in Harrow 1
Chapter 2 Family Origins 19
Chapter 3 School in Bath and Hampstead 27
Chapter 4 Oxford 41
Chapter 5 Early Experiences in International Athletics 67
Chapter 6 International Running Career: 77
Oxford to Helsinki
Chapter 7 International Running Career: 101
The Four-Minute Mile
Chapter 8 International Running Career: 133
Vancouver and Bern
Chapter 9 Marriage and Parenthood 149
Chapter 10 In Transition 161
Chapter 11 First Medical Appointments 177
Chapter 12 The Sports Council 195
Chapter 13 Family Life 219
Chapter 14 Later Work in Sport 249
Chapter 15 Medical Work: St Mary’s and The National 269
TwinTracks 270314.indd 7 28/03/2014 16:07
Chapter 16 Return to Oxford 291
Chapter 17 Leeds Castle 315
Chapter 18 Retirement 321
Chapter 19 The Modern Olympic Movement 327
and London 2012
Chapter 20 The Future of Sport 345
Chapter 21 Final Words 361
Acknowledgements 363
Index 365
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