Seconds out

In Monday’s Now and Then, the picture caption stated that in 1954, Roger Bannister ran the world’s first four-minute mile.

This is a common mistake. The first four-minute mile was run in 1958 at the White City in London by Yorkshireman Derek Ibbotson. Roger Bannister’s well recorded and remembered feat was in 1954 to run the first sub-four-minute mile in Oxford in a time of three minutes, 59.4 seconds.

To be fair to The Scotsman, the correct statement of sub-four minute mile was printed later in the Now and Then column.

Ian McLaren

Bramdean Rise

Edinburgh

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