The British sporting legend was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.
ADVERTISEMENTBritish athlete Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, has died aged 88.
He entered the record books at Iffley Road sports ground in Oxford on May 6, 1954.
Only a small crowd was present to see history made but Bannister's feat made headlines worldwide, paving the way for many others who have since beaten his time of three minutes 59.4 seconds.
Bannister, who also won a gold medal at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, later became a leading neurologist before retiring in 1993.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.
Among those paying tribute was British Prime Minister Theresa May who said he was a "great British sporting icon".
From the athletics world, Sir Mo Farah hailed Bannister as "humble, supportive and encouraging".
And Sebastian Coe said: "There is not a single athlete of my generation who was not inspired by Roger and his achievements both on and off the track."