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Peter Snell

New Zealand Sports Champion of the Century

They even called him god-like; the Snell whose power and timing took him into the super-league of track athletes.

National titles for 880 yd and the mile. Olympic Gold and Record for 800m in Rome 1960. Empire and Commonwealth Games Gold and
record for 880 yd plus Gold for mile at Perth 1962. Olympic Gold and Record for 800m plus Gold for 1500m at Tokyo 1964. Five individual and one relay world record - 800m, 880 yd, 1200m, mile (1962, '64), 4 x 1 mile relay.

In his time and at his peak, no challenge on the running track seemed too great for Snell. He appeared, at times, to be in a race of his own. When Snell upped the tempo of those powerful strides, his arm carriage characteristically low, two races developed. One was Snell on his own. The other was the rest of the field running for second.

In the more than 30 years since his retirement, Snell's name has often

been borrowed to lend a superlative to a description of someone else's running. "Snell-like" became a catchphrase for power and strength.

There were many Snell races, many great moments, many records. Perhaps the best illustration of the dominance he had came in the ultimate arena, the Olympics, in
Tokyo in 1964. It was in the 1500 metres and, naturally enough for an Olympic final, it was a high quality field. But there was only one Snell. For the last 150-200 metres of the final, striding majestically out front was the untouchable Snell, casting a glance back to see if he was being challenged. And back behind him were the best of the rest, straining every fibre not to catch Snell but to gain the silver medal.

In 1965 Snell retired from running; his autobiography, No Bugles, No Drums, was published that year, and he became director of a sports foundation set up by a tobacco company in New Zealand. In 1974, having
studied exercise physiology in England, he entered the University of California at Davis to continue his education in that field where he gained a Doctor of Philosophy in Sports Medicine.