Peter Snell Homework

Peter Snell

This is a report on Peter Snell; an amazing Olympic running champion who won three gold medals. I believe he shows the Olympic values. He attended the 1960 Olympics in Rome where he won gold in the 800m event. He also attended the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, where he won gold in the 800m, and gold in the 1500m. He was influenced by an amazing coach, Arthur Lydiard.

Peter Snell was born on the 17^th  December, 1938, in Opunake. His parents, George Snell (electrical engineer) and Margaret had two other children Jack and Marie Snell. Unfortunately there is no information on the primary schools he attended. In 1949 Peter’s family moved to Waikato where he attended Te Aroha College, and became an all round sports star. He went on to attend Mount Albert Grammar school in Auckland.

Peter first met his coach Arthur Lydiard through a rival runner, (Michael Macky) at High School. Michael was competing and beating Peter at high school running events. After Peter lowered his personal best time, Michael asked who was coaching him, Peter replied “nobody.” Michael then arranged a meeting between him and Arthur Lydiard (Michael’s coach). At this point Peter decided to drop the other sports he was interested in and really focus on running.    

When Peter first started training with Arthur, he began with an early morning workout that consisted of 200m repeats. He ran these among others, one of which was Murray Halberg. In a quote from Arthur “The speed was there, but what was missing was the endurance.” Endurance was the base of Arthurs running system. Arthur put Peter on to a 22 mile course on the Waiatarua Circuit near his house in Auckland. One day he was paired with Halberg, he wanted to stop after 15 miles but Halberg would not let him. Peter continued on, proving he had complete faith in Arthur.

After a lot of training, Peter was accepted into the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he was entered into the 800m. He was ranked 26^th in the world and had only ran out of the country once. His race in Rome was one of the highlights of his Olympic career. He recalls being stunned when he bet the world record holder Roger Moens. In 1964, he went on to win two more gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics. He won these in the 1500m, and the 800m. He also won two gold’s, in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth games.

After his Olympic career, Peter worked for a tobacco company, before moving to the States in 1971. In America (the States) he received a B.S. in Human Performance, and a P.H.D. in Exercise Physiology. In 1981 he joined the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre.  He then went on to become the director of the Human Performance Centre at the University of Texas in 1990. In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his work as an Exercise Physiologist.

In 2000 Peter was voted New Zealand’s sports champion of the 20^th century.

 In 2001, He was made a knight companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He is now known as Sir Peter Snell.

 In 2004 Peter Snell was one of 5 Olympic athletes put on a series of commemorative postage stamps. The $2.00 stamp that Peter was featured on showed him snapping the finishing tape at the 800m in Rome. He also had a “larger than life” bronze statue erected of him in his home town of Opunake, Taranaki.

In conclusion Peter Snell was a very persistent Olympic runner. I think that he clearly displayed the Olympic values through his training and persistence. He is truly a nation hero.

By Jack Wellwood