David Weir becomes first to break three-minute mile in a wheelchair

Paralympian David Weir has made world history as the first wheelchair racer to complete a mile in under three minutes.

He recorded a time of two minutes and 57 seconds, beating his previous best by six seconds, at the Westminster Mile in London on Sunday.

"I've always said I could do it," the six-time gold medallist said.

"I wanted to prove a point that I was still up there with the best in the world."

Retired athlete Sir Roger Bannister, who ran the first sub-four-minute mile in 1954, was quick to congratulate Weir for his "huge achievement".

The 87-year-old 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."

It was Weir's fourth consecutive Westminster Mile title, beating South African rival Ernst van Dyk, and comes after six victories at the London Marathon.

"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 would chase hard. I knew from last year that my start let me down," he added.

"I was more relaxed down Birdcage Walk, but I was still pushing at 22mph and that's not bad."