Peter Snell had a particularly short but even more impressive career as a track and field athlete. One of his greatest strokes of genius was even made into a film.
December 12th marks the fifth anniversary of Peter Snell's death. The New Zealand athlete shaped an entire era with his successes on the middle distance. As a three-time Olympic champion, world record holder and later a renowned scientist, he left a legacy that extends far beyond sport.
Snell's sporting career was short but extraordinary. He only started athletics at the age of 19. Under the guidance of his coach Arthur Lydiard, considered the founder of modern endurance training, Snell developed into one of the best runners of his generation.
Just three years after he started, he won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Completely unexpectedly, the then 21-year-old defeated world record holder Roger Moens. “I just wanted to reach the final, but suddenly I was an Olympic champion,” the New Zealand Olympic Committee quoted Snell as saying.
In New Zealand, September 2, 1960 went down in history as the “Golden Hour” because his training partner Murray Halberg also won Olympic gold for New Zealand in the 5000 meters. In 2012 the story was even made into a film called “The Golden Hour”.
Two world records in one week
In the following years the successes continued. 1962 was a milestone in his career: in Wanganui he ran the mile under four minutes for the first time, breaking Herb Elliott's world record.
Just a week later, Snell set the world record in the 800 meters in Christchurch – an achievement that propelled his popularity in New Zealand to unprecedented heights. His 800-meter time of 1:44.3 minutes remains a national record to this day.
The highlight of his career came at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. There Snell achieved the rare double – gold in the 800 and 1500 meters. Only Albert Hill had achieved this before him in 1920. To date, no male runner has been able to repeat this feat.
Surprising end to his career
Despite his sporting success, Snell unexpectedly ended his career in 1965. After a mixed season, he decided to look for new challenges. At first he worked as a trainer, but found that he was unable to fulfill this task.
In 1971, the former competitive athlete decided to start a new chapter in his life. He moved to the United States with his family and enrolled at the University of California. There he completed a Bachelor of Science in 1977. But that wasn't to be Snell's last academic success.
He later even completed a doctorate at Washington State University. He earned a doctorate in exercise physiology and began a research position at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“He reinvented himself. “He took a big risk, moved to another country at the age of 34 and built a new career,” his second wife Miki later told the New Zealand Herald.
New Zealand's Sportsman of the Century
Peter Snell has been honored around the world for his achievements in sport and science. In New Zealand he was voted “Sportsman of the Century” in 2009. In the same year he was knighted. In 1990 he carried the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Snell died suddenly at his home in Dallas on December 12, 2019, at the age of 80. “He lay down to watch the news and fell asleep,” said his wife Miki. He is said to have needed a pacemaker for several years.
