Who ran the first officially ratified four-minute mile in athletics?

Roger Bannister ran the first officially ratified four-minute mile in athletics.

Bannister achieved the breakthrough on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road in Oxford, England. His time was 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher helped provide pacing, while Bannister completed the final lap to become the first officially recognized sub-four-minute miler.

The mile had long been viewed as a symbolic barrier rather than a formal rule. Bannister’s performance demonstrated that the distance could be covered in under four minutes under recognized racing conditions. John Landy broke the barrier soon afterward, becoming the second man to do so.

Bannister’s achievement is sometimes mixed up with Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record, which is 3:43.13. A four-minute mile concerns the time threshold, not the world record.