Peter Snell's world record mile is commemorated in the bronze statue overlooking the Cooks Gardens athletics track.
Whanganui is in for a golden influx with two of Sir Peter Snell's Olympic Games' medals taking up temporary residence in the city from Thursday, November 9.
Snell was one of the athletes responsible for New Zealand's finest era in athletics, winning three Olympic gold medals, two Empire Games golds
and setting a clutch of world records.
His connection to Whanganui is legendary. At Cooks Gardens on 27 January 1962, Snell set a new world mile record of 3 minutes 54.4 seconds. It was the heyday of athletics, with the race watched by a 15,000-strong crowd who leaped from their seats and sang For He's a Jolly Good Fellow.
The world record followed on from Snell's success at the Rome Olympics in 1960 where he won the 800m. New Zealand celebrated again later that same afternoon when Murray Halberg won the 5000m gold medal.
Four years later in Tokyo, Snell again won the 800m, setting a new Olympic record, and also took out the 1500m gold.