The failure of any UK runner to break four minutes for the mile last night at Oxford was the ultimate indictment of the current poverty of British middle distance running. Roger Bannister billed the 50th anniversary of his breaking of the four-minute barrier for the mile as a celebration of British and Commonwealth miling. It certainly proved to be the latter.
In the climax to a special day of celebration on the Iffley Road track where Bannister logged a world record of 3:59.4 in 1954, victory went to Craig Mottram, in a track record of 3:56.64.
What an indignity! Mottram is an Australian (with a Scottish mother), and saw his success as healing a half-century wound. Bannister beat an Australian, John Landy, for the Holy Grail of miling, and beat him again for the Empire Games title that year. Landy was present yesterday to see the balance restored.
''It was great to see John Landy here,'' said Mottram. ''He helps us a lot when we are training down in Melbourne. This was my first race of the summer. It was good to beat the British in this historic meeting, and redeem John for what happened 50 years ago.''
Mottram is from Geelong, the same town as Landy.
Little has changed at the university sports ground. The track is all-weather, worth perhaps a second a lap. Yet it is still as hard for spectators to park and media seats in the stand were without power or lectern top. Though athletes now go on air sweating from the arena, 50 years ago Bannister felt the need to change into a dinner suit and bow tie before appearing at the BBC.
Yesterday he was relaxed in pink shirt and red, pink and black tie.
As the field for the international mile lined up at 6pm (same time as all those years ago), Bannister's eyes flicked once again to the flag of St George on the steeple of St John The Evangelist church. Then, its agitated movement almost caused him to call off the attempt. In 50 years, the world record has dropped to 3:43.13. Bannister predicted in 1954 that it would be 3:30 within 100 years. ''I don't feel any need to change that,'' he said yesterday, having arrived a provocative four minutes early to meet the British media.
''When somebody gets on the track and runs 3:30, there will be somebody else, somewhere in the world, who will run 3:29.8. You cannot indicate an absolute.''
Even Bannister ringing the original bell could not inspire his countrymen.
Mohammed Farah, of England, ran his fastest time, 4:00.07, beating six times AAA champion John Mayock (4:01.23).
Sonia O'Sullivan, of Ireland, broke the women's track record with a time of 4:27.79.
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