Athletics: Snell: it's all down to you, Arthur

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Some time today, a world away from the athletics tracks where he ran into history, Peter Snell will raise his glass and drink a toast to Arthur Lydiard.

Snell's recognition in the New Year honours with the the Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit completes a trifecta more than 41 years after Lydiard coached Snell and Murray Halberg to Olympic gold in Rome.

Halberg's achievement was recognised with a knighthood and Lydiard has had his efforts recognised.

"It is a nice link that we have all been recognised in this way. I owe everything to Arthur," said Snell, who celebrated his 63rd birthday at home in his Dallas, Texas, last week.

He remains a little bemused, however, that the citation reads "for services to athletics."

When New Zealand's ambassador to the United States, Jim Bolger, called to tell him of the honour, Snell's immediate thoughts were "why so long?"

He was not denigrating the honour but felt he had taken his life a big step further than his track and field days.

His athletic triumphs were recognised in 1964 with the awarding of an OBE after his 1960 Rome Olympics gold medal and double gold success in Tokyo in 1964, and his setting of world records over one mile, 880 yards and 800m.

"That recognised my athletic ability. This latest honour is a significant upgrade," he joked.

"No, I should be more humble. It is nice because it means, I think, the country does recognise your contribution.

"In some ways, what it does say is that someone can turn academic failure around to achieve something worthwhile. That, I feel, is an excellent message."

Many felt that by living overseas for almost 30 years, Snell had become the forgotten hero of New Zealand sport.

Almost certainly, his being named as the Athlete of the Century at the Halberg Awards was the jolt the powers that decide such things needed.

Snell, burst on to the world stage with his stunning 800m victory in Rome.

He followed that with a Commonwealth Games double (880 yards and the mile) in Perth two years later before his greatest performance, the tough Olympic 800m-1500m double, in Tokyo in 1964.

Later recruited by the Rothmans Sports Foundation, Snell's interest in sport off the track quickly grew.

"I have to thank Rothmans for where I am today," he said. "They were the trigger.

"They helped me get to Loughborough [in England], where I first became interested in human performance." Snell returned to New Zealand, but in 1974, with his wife and two daughters, headed to the United States to continue his studies at University in California Davis and then Washington State.

After graduating, he moved in 1981 to the University of Texas in Dallas to further his education and research into internal medicine and exercise physiology.

At the time of his recognition as the Athlete of the Century, Snell said he would be keen to return to New Zealand.

But he now admits: "I got carried away.

"It would be a huge upheaval. My work here is still interesting and there are projects I am working on which can only be done here. There is the financial consideration as well."

He does retain strong links with New Zealand.

The Peter Snell Institute of Sport is working closely with young sportsmen and women and at least once a year brings New Zealand's greatest athlete back to the country he will always call home.