By SUZANNE McFADDEN
Peter Snell's three Olympic gold medals and six world records have earned him the accolade of Sports Champion of the Century.
The Texas-based academic, looking more like 40 than 61, was feted in front of hundreds of New Zealand sporting legends at a gala dinner for the Halberg Awards in the Domain last night.
His unrivalled athletic achievements put him at the head of a star field of champions including the 1905 All Blacks, Anthony Wilding, Jack Lovelock and Sir Richard Hadlee.
Snell, tagged "the greatest runner the world has ever seen," seemed taken aback when he was honoured for the most outstanding endeavour in 100 years of sport.
"I didn't know if I would win because I haven't lived here for so long," said Snell, who has been in the United States for 26 years.
"I don't like this subjective type of thing. The thing I loved about running was that if you got to the finish line first, there wasn't a question of judgment. You were the winner."
Snell admitted he would like to come home to New Zealand.
"There is a very strong pull for me to return and try to make some sort of impact here.
"Probably now is the time to do it - but I have to be very clear in what I want to do. I'm interested in ageing and people maintaining physical fitness."
Snell has a doctorate in exercise physiology and is considered an expert in the field.
The man who turned Snell into a legend, his old coach Arthur Lydiard, was at the spectacular gala in the grounds of the Domain, despite a fall on Wednesday.
Lydiard once said: "Peter Snell is the greatest runner the world has ever seen." Last night, he reiterated his claim, saying there had never been an athlete like him.
Snell was only 21 when he won his first Olympic gold medal, in the 800m in Rome in 1960. He beat his old training buddy Murray Halberg, the 5000m champion, to the medal dais by less than an hour.
Sir Murray, founder of the Halberg Trust, also received a standing ovation last night, and huge thanks from Snell.
Another athletic star, Montreal Olympic 1500m gold medallist John Walker, paid tribute to Snell, describing him as his lifelong hero and the logical choice for the award.
Snell's incredible stamina made him a hero in homes all over New Zealand. It became obvious when he broke three world records in a week in 1962.
But it is for his performances on a cinder track in Tokyo in 1964 that Snell is best remembered. "Peter the Great" collected the 800m and 1500m Olympic golds in the space of five days.
When Snell abruptly ended his athletics career soon after, the world thought it was too soon. But he disagrees.
"After my records in 1962, I subconsciously felt that I had achieved everything I wanted from athletics," he said.
"Although I won at Tokyo without too much trouble, there was no sufficient motivation for me to run any faster than I did."
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