Roger Bannister Best Bet to Light Olympic Torch in London

It will be mere hours before the biggest secret of the Opening Ceremony is answered. Roger Bannister remains the best bet for those willing to gamble on who will light the greatest symbol of Olympic fraternity, the torch. 

Barry Petchesky of Deadspin has a hunch as to who will take the final leg of the Olympic torch run to light the official cauldron. 

The big name is that of Roger Bannister, the English hero who broke the four-minute mile. 

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How do we know? Immediately after a dress rehersal of the opening ceremonies on Wednesday, participants flooded the U.K.'s sports books and started putting their money on Bannister.

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Like inside traders off Wall Street, it sounds like there are quite a few with presumed knowledge laying down serious coin on Bannister being the man. 

Still, official word will have to wait as the finale to the Opening Ceremony continues to be kept under wraps. 

Petchesky reminds us of a few things. First, Steve Redgrave, an Olympic rowing legend, was considered to be at the top of most people's list to light the final torch. 

Also, despite Bannister's decorated resume, he never received a medal at an Olympic competition. 

Besides wagers, the report also points to this Yahoo Sports piece that quotes a source quite confident in which British hero they think will carry the final flame:

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"I am not going to place a bet but it did look like it was set up for a runner from the past," said one Olympic volunteer. "When you try to imagine which famous figure would fit best into the way the Ceremony was conducted, Bannister was the obvious one to come to mind."

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That hardly settles anything, and we will be glued to the TV to make sure this prediction comes true shortly. 

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