TITAN OF THE TRACK

NEW ZEALAND HAS PRODUCED SOME OF THE MOST PROLIFIC MIDDLE-DISTANCE RUNNERS IN HISTORY. CAMERON TUCKER TALKS TO POSSIBLY THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL

PICTURES: MARK SHEARMAN

Peter Snell: Olympic champion in 1960 and 1964

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THIS YEAR has been a record-breaking one in sport for New Zealand. The island nation, renowned for its haka-dancing rugby team, secured its largest ever medal haul at the Olympics in Rio.

Four of those medals came in athletics, including a bronze in the men’s 1500m for veteran Nick Willis, adding to his silver from Beijing.

Middle-distance running holds a sacred place in Kiwi lore. Since Jack Lovelock’s 1500m gold in Berlin (1936), the country’s medal cabinet has been kept full with gold from John Walker (1500m, Montreal 1976), Rod Dixon’s bronze (1500m, Munich 1972) and Willis’s double.

Although Lovelock’s was the first on the board, the country’s affinity with middle-distance running was truly established more than two decades later thanks to the exploits of Peter Snell.

Snell won three Olympic golds – the 800m titles in 1960 and 1964 and the 1500m, also in 1964 – and broke the world record in the 800m, 880yds, 1000m and the mile. Not bad for someone who, as a teenager, would have been “happy to settle down as a provincial runner.”

Having shown early promise as a rugby and tennis player, the Te Aroha-native shifted his focus to middle-distance running in his late teens.