SIX WORLD RECORDS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29739, 5 February 1962, Page 14

SIX WORLD RECORDS

N.Z. Athletes’ Feats

New Zealand athletes are now the holders of six world records, P. G. Snell having set three of them in the space of eight days. Two of them he achieved in the one race, the 800 metres and the half-mile at Lancaster Park on Saturday, when he achieved times of Imin 44.35ec and Imin 45.1 sec respectively. A week earlier he set a mile time of 3min 54.45ec, eclipsing the time of H. J. Elliott by O.lsec. In erasing R. Moens’s 800 metre time of Imin 45.75ec, Snell broke one of the oldest times on the international record books, the record having been set as long ago as 1955.

Snell also has the distinction of sharing in a fourth record, that of the four by one mile relay. Snell’s Owairaka team mate M. G. Halberg, is the holder of the world marks for the two and three miles. Like Snell, Halberg also has a share in the four by one mile relay, the other two members of the team being A. B. Magee and G. F. Philpott. The first official world re cord to be won by a New Zealander was the mile time of 4min 7.6 sec established by the late Dr. J. E. Lovelock at Princeton, United States, in 1933 a record which Snell has just recaptured for this country. New Zealand’s list of record holders has been: — Mile.— J. E. Lovelock, 4min 7.6 sec, Princeton, U.S.A., 1933 P. G. Snell, 3min 54.45ec. Wanganui, January 27, 1962. 1500 Metres. Lovelock. 3min 47.8 sec, Berlin, 1936. 100 Yards.— Miss D. Lumley, llsec, Auckland, 1939 (equalled world record). Long Jump.— Miss Y. Williams, 20ft 7Jin, Gisborne, 1954. 440 Yards.— Miss M. A. M. Chamberlain, 56.95ec, 1957; 56.1 sec, 1958. Two Miles. — M. G. Halberg, Bmin 30sec. Jyvaekylae, Finland, July 8, 1961. 4xl Mile Relay.— Halberg, Snell, Philpott, Magee, 16min 23.8 sec, Dublin, July 17, 1961.

Three Miles. Halberg, 13min lOsec, Stockholm, July 25 1961.

800 Metres.— Snell, Imin 44.3 sec, Christchurch, February 3, 1962. 880 Yards.— Snell, Imin 45.1 sec, Christchurch, February 3, 1962.