Hello friends, today I’m taking you to Oxford, England, to a seemingly ordinary athletics track, but where an extraordinary feat took place. It was here, in 1954, that Roger Bannister, a young medical student, changed the history of
sport—and far beyond.
At that time, scientists and trainers believed that running a mile, the equivalent of one kilometer and 600 meters, in less than 4 minutes was simply impossible. The human body, they said, could not sustain such speed over such a distance. Many had tried, all of them failing.
But Roger Bannister isn’t convinced. He believes this barrier isn’t physiological… but mental. So, with modest training, between his classes at the hospital, and the help of a few friends to encourage him and pace him, he decides to give it a go.
On May 6, 1954, under a gray, windy sky, Bannister ran the mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. In an instant, what the world thought impossible became possible. And, remarkably, in the months that followed, several other runners also broke that barrier. It wasn’t that their legs got faster. It was that their minds were freed.
For comparison, the current world record for the mile is 3 minutes and 43 seconds, set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
So the next time you hear that something is ‘impossible’, remember Oxford, Roger Bannister and his legendary mile: sometimes, it only takes one person to show the way… and break down a supposedly insurmountable barrier.
I’ll see you very soon with new inspiring stories from around the world.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-renaux-37b5551/
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June 2025. Podcast produced by Francaisdanslemonde.fr : Radios & podcasts for French speakers preparing for or experiencing international mobility . Free mobile app available for Android & Apple, search FRANCAIS DANS LE MONDE .
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