Peter George Snell, DCNZM, OBE (born December 17, 1938 in Opunake) is a New Zealand former athlete. He had one of the shortest careers of world famous international sportsmen yet achieved so much that he was voted New Zealand’s ‘Sports Champion Of The (20th) Century’. A protege of the great New Zealand athletics coach Arthur Lydiard, Snell is known for the three Olympic gold medals he won. A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. ... At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, 34 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 10 by women. ... The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. ... Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics was composed of 36 events, 24 for men and 12 for women. ... The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. ... Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics was composed of 36 events, 24 for men and 12 for women. ... Countries which participated The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from November 22 to December 1. ... Countries which participated The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from November 22 to December 1. ... The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of chivalry established on 30 May 1996 by Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... Arthur Leslie Lydiard, ONZ, OBE, (6 July 1917–11 December 2004) was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. ...

Early athletic career

Snell's family moved to Waikato in 1949, where he became an all-around sportsman. He won several middle-distance running events in his hometown of Te Aroha. Snell attended Mt. Albert Grammar School for Boys in Auckland, where he took up a wide area of both team and individual sports, including rugby, cricket, tennis, badminton, and golf. As a teenager, Snell excelled in tennis, and pursued the sport through appearances at the Auckland and New Zealand Junior Tennis Championships. Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Te Aroha is a rural town in the Thames Valley region of New Zealand with a population of around 3,700 (2001 census). ... A rugby union scrum. ... Bowler Shaun Pollock bowls to batsman Michael Hussey. ... Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York Tennis is a game played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players (doubles). ... The Danish Olympic badminton player Peter Gade Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. ... This article is about the sport. ...

At age 19, however, Snell was motivated to try his hand more seriously at running by the comments of his future coach, Arthur Lydiard, who told him, "Peter, with the sort of speed you've got, if you do the endurance training, you could be one of our best middle-distance runners."^[1] During his early career under the tutelage of Lydiard, he started with New Zealand titles and records for 880 yds and the mile and being an unusually large (by track standards) and powerful man, hinted of great things to come. Arthur Leslie Lydiard, ONZ, OBE, (6 July 1917–11 December 2004) was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ...

Olympic success

He came to international attention when he won gold and set a new record for 800 m at the Rome Olympics in 1960. He was particularly dominant four years later at the Tokyo Olympics where he won gold and set a new record in the 800 m and won gold in the 1500 m. His time in the 800 m would have been good enough to win silver, and only fractionally miss gold, 36 years later at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The 800-1500 m double was not achieved again in open global championship until Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain won both golds at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics at Helsinki. The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. ... The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Rashid Ramzi (born July 17, 1980) is an athlete competing internationally for Bahrain in the 800 and 1500 metres. ... Helsinki Olympic Stadium at the opening day of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ...

World records

In January 1962 Snell broke the world mile record before a huge crowd at Cook’s Gardens in Wanganui, and one week later set new world records for both the 800 m and 880 yd at Christchurch. He then won gold and set a new record for 880 yd at the Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962, and won gold for the mile at that same games. Later that year he was created a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Wanganui   is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... For other uses, see Christchurch (disambiguation). ... Current flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation Locations of the games, and participating countries Commonwealth Games Federation seal, adopted in 2001 The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event. ... The Perth skyline viewed from the Swan River This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

In all, Snell set five individual world records and joined with fellow New Zealand athletes to set a new four by one mile relay record as well. He was at the peak of his career in 1965 and promising much more when he stunned New Zealand and the athletics world by announcing his retirement to move on to other things.

Snell's former world records of 1 minute 44.3 seconds for 800 m, set on 3 February 1962, and 2 minutes 16.6 seconds for 1000 m set on 12 November 1964, remain the New Zealand national records for these distances [1]. is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Snell's 800 m time from 1962 remains the fastest ever run over that distance on a grass track. It is also the oldest national record recognized by the IAAF for a standard track and field event.

New opportunities

Snell worked for a tobacco company before moving to the USA in 1971 to further his education. He gained a BSc in Human Performance, and then a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology. He joined University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as a research fellow in 1981. He is Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and also Director of their Human Performance Center. A member of the American College of Sports Medicine, Snell was honoured in 1999 as an Inaugural Inductee, International Scholar, into the Athlete Hall of Fame, University of Rhode Island. Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (also known as “Southwestern”) is one of the leading medical research facilities in the United States. ... The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) sets the knowledge base for the fitness industry[citation needed]. ACSM offers certification for personal trainers. ... The University of Rhode Island, commonly abbreviated as URI, is the principal public research university in the State of Rhode Island, with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, and three other campuses located throughout the state. ...

Adopting a new sport, Snell has become an active orienteer. He won his category, men aged 65 and older, in the 2003 United States Orienteering Championship.^[2] He is a past president of the North Texas Orienteering Association and a member of the United States Orienteering Federation. A house in Macleans College is named after him. The international orienteering symbol. ... The House System is a traditional feature of British schools, similar to the collegiate system of a university. ... Macleans College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

Postage stamps

Peter Snell was one of five Olympic athletes from New Zealand featured on a series of commemorative postage stamps issued in August, 2004 to commemorate the 2004 Olympic Games. The two dollar stamp issued by New Zealand Post features a stylized photo of Peter Snell snapping the tape at the finish line of the 800 meter race at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.^[3] This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ... New Zealand Post Limited is the dominant postal operator in New Zealand. ...

External links

• Peter Snell, Legendary Runner #6

References

Cited References

General References