Sir Roger Bannister sculpture takes shape

Donald Brown has been a sculptor for more than 40 years

A special sculpture celebrating the 70th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister completing the four-minute mile features contributions from the greats that came after, its maker has said.

Donald Brown's artwork started life on 6 May at Iffley Road Sports Centre in Oxford, where a mass running event took place to commemorate Sir Roger's achievement.

A portion of clay was placed onto a blank board by Thurstan Bannister, Sir Roger's son.

Former mile world record breakers Filbert Bayi, Steve Cram, Noureddine Morceli, and Hicham El Guerrouj have since added to it.

Filbert Bayi, Steve Cram, Noureddine Morceli, and Hicham El Guerrouj have contributed to the sculpture

Mr Brown said the decision to make a sculpture was "last minute".

The artist, who has been a sculptor for more than 40 years, brought his work into BBC Radio Oxford where presenter Sophie Law added to it with a penny-sized piece of clay.

"The objective really is once it’s finished and completed, and when it’s unveiled, whoever’s placed a portion of clay upon the sculpture will forever be a part of that legacy," he explained.

"The next six to eight weeks will be really exciting to see how it grows as others develop it and put on their portion as well."

The artwork catches the moment Sir Roger crossed the finishing line at the Iffley Road track

The sculpture captures a likeness of Sir Roger in his later years, alongside a pose of the euphoric moment when he crossed the finish line in 1954.

Mr Brown said: "Capturing emotions and movements and expressions is a challenge, and I think it’s something you really have to focus on to get right."

The sculpture is expected to be completed in late July or early August.

Mr Brown is hoping to recruit Mo Farah, alongside other officials and spectators, to make his mark on the piece.

Presenter Sophie Law has added her own piece of clay to the sculpture

Sir Roger was the first man to achieve the four-minute mile, which took place at the Iffley Road track at Oxford University.

The then-medical student ran the distance in three minutes and 59.4 seconds.

He later won a Commonwealth and a European Championship gold medal.

At the end of 1954 he retired from athletics to pursue his medical studies, specialising in research and treatment of the the body's automatic functions, such as heartbeat, blood pressure, and digestion.

He became a distinguished neurologist, and died in March 2018, aged 88.