Gunder Hagg, 85; runner had held record for mile

STOCKHOLM -- The man who held the world record in the mile when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier has died. Gunder Hagg set the mile world record in 1945 and held it until Bannister's run of 3:59.4 nine years later.

A friend says Mr. Hagg died yesterday at a nursing home in Sweden. He was 85.

Mr. Hagg broke 15 world marks in middle-distance running and set no less than 10 world marks over a three-month period in 1942. That year, he became the first person to run 5,000 meters in under 14 minutes. He was The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1943.

On July 17, 1945, Mr. Hagg set a world record for the mile of 4 minutes, 1.4 seconds that stood until 1954.

Mr. Hagg was disqualified from amateur competition in 1946 for receiving money for his running.