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As a teenager I had no idea that I had the potential to win an Olympic gold medal and my athletic career developed only by lucky circumstances

Peter Snell

Peter Snell was a natural athlete. He excelled at rugby, tennis, cricket and golf among other sports. It just so happens that one day, coach Arthur Lydiard spotted the 19-year-old Snell run an 880-yard handicap race in 1957. Lydiard was impressed by Snell‘s natural speed and convinced Snell to drop his other sports and pursue track. The rest we shall say is history.

Snell’s impressive resume includes all of the following:

• 800m gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympic games
• 880y and Mile gold medals at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth games
• 800m and 1500m gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics games – a feat that has not been replicated since.
• World Records in the 800m, 880y, 1000m, Mile and 4 x 1 Mile relay
• Voted New Zealand’s Sports Champion of the (20th) Century

There is a lot to say about Peter Snell. But here are just two tidbits about the 1960 Olympics and his 800m world record.

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