Word: snell
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Ever since New Zealand's Peter Snell stormed from behind to win the 800-meter race in the 1960 Olympics, he has dominated the middle distances like no other runner in history. He set new world records for 800 meters (1 min. 44.3 sec.), 880 yds. (1 min. 45.1 sec.), 1,000 meters (2 min. 16.6 sec.), and one mile (3 min. 54.1 sec.); he outclassed all challengers at the 1964 Olympics, won both the 800-meter and the 1,500-meter races...
Honors followed in his fast footsteps. Queen Elizabeth made him a Member of the Order of the British Empire, promoted him to Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He was New Zealand's new national hero. Then Snell began to think about quitting-while he was ahead. He wanted to spend time with his young wife Sally and at his job in public relations for Rothmans cigarette company in New Zealand. So last fall, he decided to top off his triumphal career with one last world tour...
...Shame." Two months ago Snell ran a half-mile in Honolulu, then a mile in Los Angeles. He won both races, but his time for the half-mile (1 min. 53.8 sec.) was only soso. He ran an 880-yd. race against Canada's Bill Crothers in Toronto. On the last turn, Snell pulled his usual ploy, turned on a great burst of speed for the final sprint, but Crothers hung on, passed him 40 yds. from the tape. "My legs felt dead," complained Snell...
...June, France's Michel Jazy broke Snell's one-mile record by .5 sec. Stung, Snell hopped off for Europe to recapture his position. In Helsinki he raced in a 1,500-meter contest. He lost. In London earlier this month, he tried to win back the mile record, finished seventh, barely scraping in under the four-minute mark. Two days later he was beaten in Dublin by two British milers. In Czechoslovakia he lost two races. In Oslo he was beaten at 800 meters. Two weeks ago in Berlin, Oregon's Jim Grelle, whom Snell...
...Dimension." What had gone wrong? "Looking back, I think that I didn't work quite as hard as I did for Tokyo," said Snell. "I more or less achieved what I had set out to do and proved myself the best at the Olympics. I endeavored to hold on for the tour, but it just wasn't possible." Fans in New Zealand felt that if Snell had eased up on his training, it was because he had been a reluctant hero from the start, had never been able to summon the insatiable competitive instincts that keep driving most...