Diane Leather Charles - Heritage Plaque
Plaque name: Diane Leather Charles
Location: Walsall Rd, Birmingham, Perry Bar, United Kingdom , B42 2LR
Event discipline: One Mile
Plaque awarded: 21/11/2019
Reason: Plaque Category - Legend
Diane Leather Charles (GBR) 1933 - 2018
On 29 May 1954 in Birmingham, England, Diane Leather became the first woman to run one mile in under 5 minutes (4:59.6). Despite her run coming in the same month and only weeks after Bannister’s sub-4, her feat went largely unheralded.
Leather, a two-time European silver medallist at 800m, ran her fastest Mile time of 4mins 45 seconds, in 1954 at London’s White City stadium. Her world’s best time remained unbeaten by a woman until 1962.
The mile distance for women didn’t become officially ratifiable for world records until 1967.