View source for Peter Snell

{{Short description|New Zealand middle-distance runner (1938–2019)}}
{{for-multi|the Canadian film producer|Peter Snell (producer)|the American acoustic engineer|Snell Acoustics}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Sir Peter Snell
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|OBE|size=100%}}
| image            = Peter Snell 1964.jpg
| image_size       = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.-->
| caption          = Snell at the 1964 Olympics
| birth_name       = Peter George Snell<ref name=sports-reference>{{cite web |title=Peter Snell |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sn/peter-snell-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417115402/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sn/peter-snell-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |website=sports-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref>
| fullname         = 
| nickname         = 
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1938|12|17|df=y}}<ref name=sports-reference />
| birth_place      = [[Ōpunake]], New Zealand<ref name=sports-reference />
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2019|12|12|1938|12|17|df=y}}
| death_place      = [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], United States
| height           = {{convert|1.79|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name=sports-reference />
| weight           = {{convert|80|kg|lb st|1|abbr=on}}<ref name=sports-reference />
| website          = 
| country          = 
| sport            = Athletics
| event            = 800 m, 1500 m
| collegeteam      = 
| club             = 
| team             = 
| turnedpro        = 
| coach            = [[Arthur Lydiard]]
| retired          = 
| coaching         = 
| worlds           = 
| regionals        = 
| nationals        = 
| olympics         = 
| paralympics      = 
| highestranking   = 
| pb               = '''[[800 metres]]''': 1:44.3<ref name="All-Athletics">{{cite web |url=http://www.all-athletics.com/node/295420 |author=All-Athletics |title=Profile of Peter Snell |access-date=3 December 2014 |archive-date=15 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315035538/http://www.all-athletics.com/node/295420 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ('''[[New Zealand records in athletics|WR]]''') <br /> 880 yards: 1:45.1 WR<br /> 1000 metres: 2:16.6 WR <br /> '''[[1500 metres]]''': 3:37.6<ref name="All-Athletics" />{{ref|1|1}} <br /> '''[[Mile run|Mile]]''': 3:54.4 WR<ref name="All-Athletics" /> <br /> Mile 3:54.1 WR<br /> 4&nbsp;×&nbsp;1 mile relay: 16.23.8 WR (with [[Murray Halberg]], [[Gary Philpot]]t & [[Barry Magee]])
| medaltemplates   = {{Medal|Country | {{NZL}} }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 metres]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]] | [[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 metres]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]] | [[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 metres]] }}
{{Medal|Comp | [[Athletics at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|1962 Perth]] | [[Athletics at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 880 yards|880 yards]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|1962 Perth]] | [[Athletics at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 1 mile|1 mile]] }}
| show-medals      = yes
}}
'''Sir Peter George Snell''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|size=100%|KNZM|OBE}} (17 December 1938 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand [[middle-distance runner]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12293792|title = 'The greatest athlete NZ has had': Olympian Sir Peter Snell has died, age 80| date=16 June 2023 }}</ref> He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics,<ref>[https://nzhistory.govt.nz/peter-snell-completes-the-800-1500-m-double-in-tokyo Peter Snell wins second gold in Tokyo], NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 18-Aug-2015</ref> in 1964.

Snell had a relatively short career as a world-famous international sportsman, 1960–1965, yet achieved so much that he was voted New Zealand's "Sports Champion of the (20th) Century"<ref>{{cite web |title=New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame |url=http://www.nzhalloffame.co.nz/Inductees/S/Peter-Snell.aspx |work=Peter Snell |access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> and was one of 24 inaugural members of the [[International Association of Athletics Federations]] Hall of Fame named in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Snell to be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame |url=http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/HOF/News/NewsDetail.aspx?id=66429 |work=IAAF Hall of Fame |author=IAAF Hall of Fame |access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> A protégé of the New Zealand athletics coach [[Arthur Lydiard]], Snell is known for the three [[Summer Olympics|Olympic]] and two [[Commonwealth Games]] [[gold medal]]s he won, and the several world records he set.

== Early athletic career ==
Born in [[Ōpunake]], Snell moved with his family to [[Waikato]] in 1949 where he attended Te Aroha College and became an all-around sportsman. He won several middle-distance running events in his hometown of [[Te Aroha]], although some members of his new school lived in [[Ngāruawāhia]]. In 1955 he became a boarding student at [[Mount Albert Grammar School]] in Auckland, where he took up a wide range of team and individual sports, including [[rugby union]], [[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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferstle |first1=Jim |title=Peter Snell: Gentleman, Athlete, Scholar |url=http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/peter-snell-gentleman-athlete-scholar |website=runnersworld.com |date=24 January 2012 |publisher=[[Rodale, Inc.]] |access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="ThenandNow">{{cite Q|Q117189974|page=150}}</ref>

At age 19, Snell was motivated to concentrate seriously on 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."<ref name="lydiard-comment">Winder, Virginia (2003) [https://web.archive.org/web/20040114092429/http://pukeariki.com/en/stories/sport/snell.asp "Peter Snell's One-Track Mind"]. pukeariki.com Retrieved 10 January 2006.</ref> During his early career under the tutelage of Lydiard, he started with New Zealand titles and records for 880 yards and the mile, despite being an unusually large and powerful man by typical middle-distance runner standards.

== Olympic success ==
Snell came to international attention with his gold medal in the [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 metres]] at the [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics|Rome Olympics]] in 1960, setting a new national record. He was particularly dominant four years later at the [[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics|Tokyo Olympics]] where he won the gold and set a new Olympic record in the {{nowrap|[[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 metres]],}} and won gold in the [[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 metres]].

By winning the 800–1500 m double, Snell became only the second male to achieve this feat at the Olympics after [[Albert Hill (athlete)|Albert Hill]] in [[Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920]],<ref>[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/82803871/New-Zealands-Golden-Olympic-moments-Peter-Snells-double-at-Tokyo-1964 New Zealand's Golden Olympic moments: Peter Snell's double at Tokyo 1964], [[Stuff.co.nz]], 4 August 2016</ref> and it has not been achieved by any male athlete at the Olympics since. It was not achieved by a male at an open global championship until Moroccan-born [[Rashid Ramzi]] of [[Bahrain]] won both golds at the [[World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005]] at [[Helsinki]]. (After the 2008 Olympic Games, Ramzi was stripped of his Olympic gold medal for [[Doping in sport|doping]], but that penalty was not applied retroactively to his World Championship gold medals.)

== World records ==
In early 1962, Snell lowered the [[Mile run world record progression|world mile record]] by a tenth of a second at [[Cooks Gardens]] in [[Whanganui]] on {{nowrap|27 January,<ref name=fmlab>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r8ciAAAAIBAJ&pg=1861%2C3485833 |work=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |title='Fastest Miler' laurel achieved by Peter Snell |date=28 January 1962 |page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10780338 |title=Athletics: Run of a lifetime 50 years on |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |last=Chapman |first=Grant |date=22 January 2012 |access-date=13 November 2012}}</ref>}} and one week later set new world records for both the 800 m and {{convert|880|yd|1}} at {{nowrap|[[Christchurch]].<ref name=rdegpf>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jm4rAAAAIBAJ&pg=3020%2C593315 |work=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania|agency=(AP photo) |title=Speedster |date=3 February 1962 |page=6}}</ref>}} He then won gold and set a new record for [[Athletics at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 880 yards|880 yd]] at the [[1962 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] in [[Perth]] in 1962, and won gold for the [[Athletics at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Men's 1 mile|mile]] at those same games. In all, Snell set five individual world records and joined fellow New Zealand athletes to set a new four by one mile relay record as well.

Snell's 800 m time of 1:44.3, set on 3 February 1962, remained the world record until [[Marcello Fiasconaro]] ran 1:43.7 on 27 June 1973. It was the [[List of Oceanian records in athletics|Oceania area record]] until [[Joseph Deng]] ran 1:44.21 on 20 July 2018. It was also the oldest national record recognised by the [[IAAF]] for a standard track and field event, lasting for 62 years until [[James Preston (runner)|James Preston]] ran 1:44.04 on 25 May 2024, five years after Snell's death.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-26 |title=Athletics: Sir Peter Snell's NZ 800m record broken in Germany |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/517847/athletics-sir-peter-snell-s-nz-800m-record-broken-in-germany |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref> His time remains the fastest ever run over that distance on a grass track.

Fatigued after his Olympic buildup and second world mile record in 1964, his final track season in 1965 was characterised by a string of losses to such athletes as Olympic 1500 m silver medalist [[Josef Odlozil]], Olympic 800 m silver medalist [[Bill Crothers]], U.S. high schooler and future world record holder [[Jim Ryun]], and the American [[Jim Grelle]].<ref>Racing Past: The History of Middle and Long Distance Running|url=http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=113</ref> Snell then announced his retirement.

== Career after retirement from sport ==
Snell worked for a tobacco company and lived in [[Mount Albert, New Zealand|Mount Albert]], before moving to the United States of America in 1971 to further his education.<ref name="ThenandNow"/> He gained a B.S. in human performance from the [[University of California, Davis]], and then a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in exercise physiology from [[Washington State University]]. He joined [[University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas]] as a research fellow in 1981. He was associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine and also director of their Human Performance Centre. 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]].

Adopting a new sport, Snell became an [[orienteering|orienteer]] and won his category, men aged 65 and older, in the 2003 United States Orienteering Championship.<ref name="usof_2003">Bay Area Orienteering Club (2003). [http://www.baoc.org/results/r03/r030914.html 2003 Silva U.S. Orienteering Championships, Fallen Leaf Lake, South Lake Tahoe]. baoc.org Retrieved 23 January 2006.</ref> He was a past president of the North Texas Orienteering Association and a member of the [[United States Orienteering Federation]].

Snell also became a competitive [[table tennis]] player including competing in Texas state (finishing in the top 4 in the 75+ age category) and U.S. championship events and also the 2017 [[World Masters Games]] in Auckland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11763689|title=Peter Snell confirms entry for World Masters Games|date=2016-12-09|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=2017-04-14|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref>

Snell died at his home in [[Dallas]], Texas on 12 December 2019, just five days short of turning 81. The cause was heart failure.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12293792 |title='The greatest athlete NZ has had': Famed Olympian Sir Peter Snell has died, age 80 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=14 December 2019 |access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> Miki, his wife, survived him.

==Commemorations and awards==
[[File:Statue of Peter Snell.JPG|thumb|Statue of Snell erected in 2007]]
Following his success at the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962, Snell was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Member of the Order of the British Empire]] for services in the field of athletics in the [[1962 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1962 Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=42685 |date=2 June 1962 |page=4348 |supp=3}}</ref> Three years later he was elevated to Officer of the same order in the [[1965 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1965 New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43531 |date=1 January 1965 |page=44 |supp=3}}</ref>

He was voted New Zealand's Sports Champion of the Century in 2000 and was knighted soon afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/50789304
|title=New Zealand three-time Olympic champion Peter Snell dies|date=2019-12-13|website=BBC Sport|access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> In the [[2002 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|2002 New Year Honours]], he was appointed a [[New Zealand Order of Merit|Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit]] for services to sport,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2002 | title=New Year honours list 2002 |date=31 December 2001 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> and in [[2009 Special Honours (New Zealand)|2009]], following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and was invested by the [[Governor-General of New Zealand]], [[Anand Satyanand|Sir Anand Satyanand]].<ref name="KNZM">{{cite news |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Ancient-knighthood-tradition-revived-in-gothic-church/tabid/423/articleID/116744/Default.aspx#ixzz2LgNJRpVt |title=Ancient knighthood tradition revived in gothic church |work=3News |date=15 August 2009 |access-date=23 February 2013}}</ref>

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 stylised photo of Snell snapping the tape at the finish line of the 800 metres race at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stamps.nzpost.co.nz/new-zealand/2004/olympic-games |title=Olympic Games |work=New Zealand Post|access-date=8 May 2012}}</ref>

He was selected by ''[[Track and Field News]]''' as their "Athlete of the '60's" and was pictured on the cover of the December 1969 issue.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/28-covers/136-past-covers-1967 |title=Track and Field News: 1969 Covers |access-date=6 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212328/https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/28-covers/136-past-covers-1967 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2007 he was awarded an honorary doctorate ([[Doctor of Science|DSc]]) by [[Massey University]] in recognition of his work as an [[exercise physiologist]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary graduates |url=http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/calendar/officers-and-staff-of-the-university/honorary-graduates.cfm |publisher=Massey University |access-date=20 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425120049/http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/calendar/officers-and-staff-of-the-university/honorary-graduates.cfm |archive-date=25 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A larger than life-size bronze statue of Peter Snell was erected in his hometown of Ōpunake, Taranaki, and was unveiled on 19 May 2007. The statue is based on a photo of Snell crossing the finish line in the historic race at Wanganui's Cook's Gardens in 1962.<ref>[http://www.opunake.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=3&cntnt01origid=18&cntnt01returnid=18 "Opunake honours Peter Snell"]. Retrieved 2010-04-14 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305184750/http://www.opunake.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=3&cntnt01origid=18&cntnt01returnid=18 |date=5 March 2012 }}</ref> A similar bronze statue of Snell was unveiled in Cook's Gardens on 15 August 2009 to commemorate his athletic achievements.<ref name="RNZ_14964">{{cite news |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/14964/sir-peter-snell-honoured-in-wanganui |title=Sir Peter Snell honoured in Wanganui |date=16 August 2009 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |access-date=3 November 2011}}</ref>

Interviewed by the ''[[Wanganui Chronicle]]'' after the unveiling, Snell said he was internationally known as a miler, but he had never reached his potential over the mile and the 800 metres was probably his best distance.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ogilvie |first=David |url=http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/sport/news/snell-times-two/3902854/ |title=Snell times two |date=17 August 2009 |publisher=[[Wanganui Chronicle]] |access-date=4 August 2012}}</ref> He said his greatest effort was the world 800 m/880 yard double record set on Lancaster Park a few days after his new mile record, with an 800 m time that would have won the gold medal 46 years later at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]].

Snell was inducted into the Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sport Taranaki |url=https://www.sporttaranaki.org.nz/sporttaranaki/about-mo-matou/our-history/taranaki-sports-hall-of-fame-1 |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=www.sporttaranaki.org.nz}}</ref> at the Taranaki Sports Awards 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-11|title=Tokyo-bound swimmer takes out top Taranaki sports award|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/300354360/tokyobound-swimmer-takes-out-top-taranaki-sports-award|access-date=2022-01-31|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Honorific eponyms==
In 2001, [[Macleans College]] in Auckland created Snell House as part of its "whanau house" system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.macleans.school.nz/whanau/snell/about/about.htm |title=Snell House |publisher=Macleans College |access-date=20 January 2015}}</ref>

The Peter Snell Youth Village, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, in North Auckland, is also named after him. They run holiday camps for young people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.psyv.org.nz |title=Peter Snell Youth Village |publisher=Peter Snell Youth Village |access-date=20 January 2015}}</ref>

Snell Drive, in the [[Hamilton, New Zealand|Hamilton]] suburb of [[Chartwell, Waikato|Chartwell]], is named in Snell's honour.<ref>{{cite news | title=Honouring sportspeople | date=2 November 2012 | work=[[Waikato Times]] | page=9}}</ref>

Peter Snell Street is a street in the [[Bay of Plenty Region|Bay of Plenty]] town of [[Whakatāne]].
Peter Snell Drive is the location of Bream Bay College in Ruakaka in Te Tai Tokerau Northland.

==Personal bests==
{| class="wikitable"
! Distance || Time || Place || Year
|-
| 800 m || 1:44.3 [[New Zealand records in athletics|WR]] || Christchurch || 1962
|-
| 1000 m || 2:16.6 [[New Zealand records in athletics|WR]] || Auckland || 1964
|-
| 1500 m* || 3:37.6 || Auckland || 1964
|-
| Mile || 3:54.1 WR || Auckland || 1964
|}

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Sport of athletics}}

==Notes==
* {{note|1|1}} En route in the 3:54.1 mile.<ref name="All-Athletics" />

==References==
;Cited references

{{reflist}}

;General references
{{refbegin}}

* Snell, Peter and Gilmour, Garth (1965). ''No Bugles, No Drums''. Auckland: Minerva.

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Peter Snell}}
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=6617 Page with Photo, one of two at ''Sporting Heroes'']
* [http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/peter-snell---athlete-1964 Peter Snell – Athlete] – A documentary made in 1964 available to view on [[NZ On Screen]]
* {{NZOC profile|peter-snell}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before = {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Roger Moens]]
| title = [[800 metres world record progression|Men's 800 metres world record holder]]<br /><small>equalled by [[Ralph Doubell]] and [[Dave Wottle]]</small>
| years = 2 February 1962 – 27 June 1973
| after = {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Marcello Fiasconaro]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Herb Elliott]]
| title = [[Mile run world record progression|Men's mile world record holder]]
| years = 27 January 1962 – 9 June 1965
| after = {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Michel Jazy]]
}}
{{s-ach}}
{{s-bef | before = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Ralph Boston]]}}
{{s-ttl | rows=2 | title  = [[Track & Field News Athlete of the Year|Track & Field Athlete of the Year]] | years=1962<br />1964}}
{{s-aft | after  = {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Yang Chuan-kwang]]}}
{{s-bef | before = {{flagicon|TPE}} [[Yang Chuan-kwang]]}}
{{s-aft | after  = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ron Clarke]]}}
|-
{{s-bef | before = [[Murray Halberg]]}}
{{s-ttl | rows=2 | title  = [[Lonsdale Cup (NZOC)|Lonsdale Cup]] of the [[New Zealand Olympic Committee]] | years=1962<br />1964}}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Bill Baillie]]}}
{{s-bef | before = Bill Baillie}}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Don Oliver]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 800 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 1500 m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 800m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 1500m Men}}
{{Footer New Zealand NC 800 m men}}
{{Footer New Zealand NC 1500 m men}}
{{Footer WBYP Mile Men}}
{{IAAF Hall of Fame}}
{{1960 New Zealand Olympic team}}
{{1962 New Zealand British Empire and Commonwealth Games team}}
{{1964 New Zealand Olympic team}}
{{Summer Olympics multiple gold medallists from New Zealand}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, Peter}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit]]
[[Category:New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Sportspeople awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:New Zealand men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:New Zealand orienteers]]
[[Category:Male orienteers]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:University of California, Davis alumni]]
[[Category:People from Ōpunake]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Te Aroha]]
[[Category:Athletes from Waikato]]
[[Category:People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School]]
[[Category:Exercise physiologists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:American orienteers]]
[[Category:Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:New Zealand Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]