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| Roger Bannister's four-minute mile spikes fetch £220K at auction | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The spikes worn by Sir Roger Bannister when he ran the first sub-four-minute mile have sold at auction for £220,000. | |
| Sir Roger, now 86, achieved his record-breaking feat at Oxford's Iffley Road track on 6 May 1954 when he was 25. | Sir Roger, now 86, achieved his record-breaking feat at Oxford's Iffley Road track on 6 May 1954 when he was 25. |
| The shoes, made by GT Law and Son, had a reserve price of £30,000 to £50,000 at Christie's in London. | The shoes, made by GT Law and Son, had a reserve price of £30,000 to £50,000 at Christie's in London. |
| Sir Roger said they were "the last tangible link" he had to his achievement. | Sir Roger said they were "the last tangible link" he had to his achievement. |
| The hammer price for the sale was £220,000 which rises to £266,500 with buyer's premium. | |
| Sold to anonymous phone buyer | Sold to anonymous phone buyer |
| He said they had "served me great purpose, I'm grateful to them" but added: "I think it's the right time to part with them." | He said they had "served me great purpose, I'm grateful to them" but added: "I think it's the right time to part with them." |
| Kate Summers, from Christie's, said: "When bidding opened there was great anticipation. After two-and-a-half minutes of bidding, they were sold to an anonymous buyer on the telephone." | |
| The shoes were presented with an accompanying letter of provenance signed by Sir Roger and a letter written to him by his friend Eustace Thomas commenting on their "lightness". | The shoes were presented with an accompanying letter of provenance signed by Sir Roger and a letter written to him by his friend Eustace Thomas commenting on their "lightness". |
| "I could see there was an advantage in having the shoe as light as possible," Sir Roger said. | "I could see there was an advantage in having the shoe as light as possible," Sir Roger said. |
| "The leather is extremely thin and the spikes are unusually thin, as I used a grindstone to make them even thinner." | "The leather is extremely thin and the spikes are unusually thin, as I used a grindstone to make them even thinner." |
| Sir Roger said he planned to give some of the proceeds to the Autonomic Charitable Trust, as it "encourages the area of neurological research to which I have devoted most of my life". | Sir Roger said he planned to give some of the proceeds to the Autonomic Charitable Trust, as it "encourages the area of neurological research to which I have devoted most of my life". |
| "Other worthwhile causes in which I have an interest will also benefit," he added. | "Other worthwhile causes in which I have an interest will also benefit," he added. |
| He ran the mile in three minutes 59 seconds. | He ran the mile in three minutes 59 seconds. |
| In May, the stopwatch used to time the race sold for £20,000 at auction. | In May, the stopwatch used to time the race sold for £20,000 at auction. |
| Sir Roger studied medicine at the University of Oxford and went on to work in research and clinical practice. | Sir Roger studied medicine at the University of Oxford and went on to work in research and clinical practice. |
| He was knighted in 1975 and retired in 1993 as Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, where his trophies are now displayed. | He was knighted in 1975 and retired in 1993 as Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, where his trophies are now displayed. |