Obituaries — Sir Peter Snell

I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the passing of Sir Peter Snell.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to this course of action being followed? There appears to be none.

I move, That this House mark the passing of one of New Zealand’s greatest athletes, Sir Peter Snell KNZM, OBE, note that he won three Olympic gold medals, including the 800 and 1,500 metre double in 1964, and that he set at least six world records, including three in one week in 1962; further, that he was named New Zealand’s Sports Champion of the 20th Century, that he made a significant contribution to sports science, and that this House celebrate him as a great New Zealander.

In Sir Peter, New Zealand found a sporting hero. His achievements on the track are such a huge part of New Zealand’s sporting history, and he will continue to inspire generations to come. As a winner of three Olympic gold medals and two British Empire and Commonwealth Games medals, he emerged at the age of 21 to become one of the most celebrated runners of his time, breaking numerous world records.

In the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Sir Peter took to the track in the 800 metres final as a relative unknown, running from last to first with an astonishing finish to win gold. For the next four years, he would be the world’s dominant middle-distance runner, setting five individual world records in different events and joining fellow New Zealand athletes to set a new 4x1 mile relay record as well. Sir Peter’s former world records of one minute and 44.3 seconds for 800 metres and two minutes and 16.6 seconds for 1,000 metres remain the national New Zealand records for these distances. His 800 metre record remains the fastest ever run over that distance on a grass track; it is also the oldest national record recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations for a standard track and field event. He remains the only man since 1920 to have won both the 800 and 1,500 events at the same Olympic Games.

Although Sir Peter had a relatively short career as a world famous international sportsman, he achieved such incredible sporting feats that he was voted New Zealand Sports Champion of the 20th Century. He was also one of the 24 inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame named in 2012.

After his running retired, Peter Snell pursued an academic career in sports medicine in the United States. He was internationally renowned in the field of exercise science, and in 2007 was awarded an honorary doctorate by Massey University in recognition of his work. After gaining a PhD in sports medicine at Washington State University, he took up a post-doctoral fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and remained there as director of the Human Performance Laboratory and as a scientific adviser to the US Olympic Committee.

New Zealand has honoured him in many ways; making him an OBE in 1962 and a Knight Companion in 2009. Peter Snell was always a proud New Zealander who was willing to give back to his country and, in particular, to athletes who have followed on from him. He was a true icon and an inspiration to at least two generations of athletes and he leaves behind a huge legacy. He will be missed by many. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

Can I take a moment on behalf of the New Zealand National Party to acknowledge Sir Peter Snell and his family. The reality is that he was a great New Zealander.

Much has been said about his humility and his character, but the facts are these: he won three gold medals and also went on to win other medals at the Commonwealth Games, he is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 metres and the 1,500 metres in the same Olympics, and he’s been honoured as New Zealand’s greatest athlete in the 20th century. But also his contribution has been much wider than that. Not only has he been seen as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, he has also gone on to inspire a group of young people. We were recently, the Minister for Sport and Recreation and I, at the Olympic gala dinner acknowledging those young athletes that are off to Tokyo and when we saw Maurice Gimel and we heard her story of the track successes that we’ve had, I think we were reminded that there are many stories of people like Sir Peter Snell but also those athletes that are more unknown that have achieved great things for New Zealand.

So we acknowledge his family, Miki; and we acknowledge his contribution to New Zealand; and we acknowledge the fact that he has been one of our greatest athletes in New Zealand’s history.

Motion agreed to.