David Weir Just Became the First Wheelchair Racer to Break a 3-Minute Mile

Wheelchair racer David Weir is used to breaking records. The six-time Paralympics gold medalist previously set the world record for fastest wheelchair mile at just over three minutes. Now, The Telegraph reports, Weir has shattered his own record, becoming the first wheelchair racer to complete a mile in under three minutes.

Weir beat his previous record by six seconds at the Westminster Mile in London last weekend, completing the race in two minutes and 57 seconds. He told The Telegraph he’d been confident he’d one day break three minutes. “I've always said I could do it,” he explained. “I knew it was possible and training has gone really well. I knew I had to get off to a quick start and that Ernst [van Dyk] would chase hard.”

In addition to his historic victory, Weir received congratulations from another record-breaking athlete. Sir Roger Bannister, who became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes in 1954, said, “I know that Dave's been on the edge of the three-minute mile for a while, so I send him all my congratulations for his huge achievement."

[h/t Telegraph]