Did you know?
On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister, a British medical student, became the first person to run a mile (about 1.6 km) in under four minutes. His time was 3 minutes 59.4 seconds!
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Bob Beamon of the USA long-jumped 8.90 metres, beating the world record by 55 cm! His world record lasted about 23 years, and it is still the Olympic record.
On 26 April 2026, at the London Marathon, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya became the first person to run a marathon race in under two hours. His time was 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds!
Try this: Beat Your Own Record
Pick one safe skill, like skipping with a rope, balancing on one foot or bouncing a ball on a bat. Every day for a week, try it three times and write down your best score. At the end, draw a bar graph of your scores. Did practice help? Athletes call their best-ever score their 'personal best', or PB.
Go further: The Barrier That Broke
For years, many people thought running a mile in under four minutes was impossible. Then Roger Bannister did it, and just 46 days later, John Landy of Australia ran even faster! Once people knew it could be done, more and more runners went on to do it. The two-hour marathon also seemed out of reach for a long time. Sometimes the biggest barrier is believing something can't be done. What 'impossible' goal would you like to try?