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.
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.
The hammer price for the sale was £220,000 which rises to £266,500 with buyer's premium.
Sir Roger Bannister made his record-breaking run at Oxford's Iffley Road track on 6 May 1954
..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."
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".
"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."
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.
CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015
He ran the mile in three minutes 59.4 seconds.
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.
He was knighted in 1975 and retired in 1993 as Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, where his trophies are now displayed.
