B. 1938-12-17, Opunake, New Zealand
Track and Field (3 gold)
| 1960 | 1964 | HP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | gold | gold | 12800 |
| 1500 m | - | gold | 6400 |
| 19200 |
Victory in the 800 m at Roma looked a formality for Belgium's Roger Moens,
world record holder, but he was passed in the final straight by a then unknown
New Zealander, while looking the other way. Snell had bettered his career's
best three times in as many days. The story is well known in Belgium,
particularly since Snel means 'fast' in flemish. The unknown New Zealander
returned to Tokyo to claim two more titles, this time with almost absurd
ease.
He would later emigrate to the USA and became an American citizen in 1993.
last modified 2002-10-29
This page is part of the site "Full Olympians" by Herman De Wael. See here for a full Introduction.