Daughter of Roger Bannister photographer recreates iconic image

Jenny Priscott says her version, here, is not as good as her father's original

The daughter of a photographer who captured Roger Bannister's four-minute mile has recreated his iconic image.

Jenny Priscott, from Didcot, copied her father Ivan Sansom's picture when a theatre show retold the record-breaking event at Iffley Road Track, Oxford.

Mr Sansom, known as Sammy, was an Oxford Mail press photographer when he snapped the athlete cross the finishing line in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.

His image became famous as it was the first one published, Mrs Priscott said.

Ivan Sansom captured the iconic image of Roger Bannister crossing the finishing line

"As mum recalls it there was a whisper that he [Bannister] was going to try for it at some stage so dad kept his ears open like press people do," said Mrs Priscott, an amateur photographer herself.

"He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

"I know other photographers were there, but it went into the Oxford Mail the next day and it just became famous."

Mr Sansom, who died aged 35, was never credited for the image because he was employed by the local paper, but Mrs Priscott, 49, said she was "proud" that the photo was part of her family's history.

Trying to recapture it, she added, was "much harder" than she expected.

"[It is] not like my dad's original photo - or as good as - but it just shows how good he was when he only had a few moments."

Sir Roger Bannister, now 83, was a 25-year-old medical student at Oxford University when broke the four-minute mile on 6 May 1954.