It has been announced that a special statue of Snell, winner of three Olympic gold medals between 1960 and 1964, is to be unveiled next month.

 

 

It will be located in Cooks Gardens Wanganui, where in 1962 set a world record for the mile of 3min 54.4sec.

 

The statue will be sited on a concrete plinth close to the grandstand, overlooking the finishing line where Snell broke the record.

 

It will be opened on August 15 by Snell, who is now 70 and is returning from his current home in Texas, to attend the ceremony.

 

The life size bronze statue has been created by Chris Elliot from Hawkes Bay and Ross Wilson from Marton.

 

The statue has been modelled from a photo of Snell crossing the finish line in the historic 1962 race.

 

Snell had one of the shortest careers of world famous international sportsmen, yet achieved so much that he was voted New Zealand’s "Sports Champion of the [20th] Century".

 

He won the 800 metres at the Rome Olympics in 1960 and then four years later completed the 800m-1500m double at the Games in Tokyo.

 

Snell also won the double at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth.

 

Ray Stevens, the chairman of Wanganui's Community Development Committee, said: "Peter Snell is a legend in our country and this statue will act as a great reminder and inspiration for the hundreds of children and adults who use, and compete at, Cooks Gardens.

 

"Snell's former world records for 800m in February 1962 and 1000m set in November 1964 are still New Zealand national records for these distances.

 

"I am proud that Wanganui is part of his historic and celebrated athletics career and it's fantastic he is coming back to unveil this statue".

 

At the same ceremony Snell will be awarded a uniquely numbered Olympic pins to signify that he has represented his country in the Games.

 

Sir John (pictured), the 1976 Olympic 1500m champion who also set a world record, has become a life member of Athletics New Zealand (ANZ).

 

Walker's international track career spanned 18 years.

He shot to prominence at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, finishing second behind Tanzanian Filbert Bayi in a world record-breaking 3:32.5.

The following year he became the first person to break 3:50 for the mile, setting
the world record of 3:49.4 at Gothenburg, a record that stood until it was broken by Britain's Sebastian Coe four years later.

Walker was also the first person to run more than 100 sub-four minute miles.

Walker, who was awarded an OBE in 1976, was last month knighted in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours.

He has also served as a Manukau City councillor since 1998, despite having suffered from parkinson's disease for more than a decade.