Rampant Snell Was Not Tested, Won By 10 Yds

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30578, 22 October 1964, Page 24

Rampant Snell Was Not Tested, Won By 10 Yds

[from NORMAN BARRIS. "New Zealand Herald" Reporter] TOKYO, October 21. P. G. Snell did not have to break the world record to win the Olympic 1500 metres today and conclude a great gold medal double. There was not a man in the field who could challenge him and he won, in rampant mood, by 10 yards. The only runner who tried to test him was his team-mate, J. L. Davies. He attacked in front for one and a half laps and ultimately gained the bronze medal, almost the silver, for his gallant efforts. But Snell was not tested. I think that he himself did not realise the might of his performance, so easy was it. He was asked afterwards if his finish was the fastest of his career. He said: “I doubt it.”

Michel Bernard, taking the i field through the first 400 i metres in 58sec. Snell had 1 been last early on but then i moved up to position himself nicely in third. j j Ready To Move i He was always to stay J around here, about second or , third, not caring about cover- ( ing extra ground by running ( a couple of lanes wide. t Bernard fell back quickly i - after the first 400 metres, , which must have taken everyi one by surprise, for there was ] ' a lull for about 200 metres. 1 So Davies came past in the 1 straight, after one and a half 1 laps. He had been prepared 1 to move in the third lap, but 1 the pace could not be allowed I 1 to fall. t 1 [ Gap Closed It had fallen in that lap, i • and was outside two minutes 1 , at the 800 metres. So Davies t ! set to work in the third lap, with deliberation. Two yards 1 i opened up down the back 1 ) straight, but Snell came with s : a surge past the Pole, Withold 1 t Baran, to close it. 1 In front Davies worked - i strenuously. Behind him, t , fluctuating between second

In actual fact his last 400 metres was 53.25ec, the fastest last lap of his life by well over a second. The last 300 metres over which he opened up, was 38.6 sec, the pace of a full lap in 51.5 sec. In the 800 metres final last Friday he had been hammering himself down the straight, even if he was not right down to rock bottom. Today, he was not even hammering himself. 6th In 8 Days It had been expected that the desperate measures that the other contenders needed would “set up” a world record for Snell. But they seemed tired after the fast semi-final on Monday, tn which all the aggressive runners had competed. For Snell it was the sixth race in eight days, and he admitted that he felt it Yet they could not touch him. It is so staggering. The early pace went as expected, the Frenchman,

and third position, Snell was moving around as never before, watching and ready for other challenges. He was obviously determined not to be boxed in. And the dominance of his physique and presence was such that he only had to move out a shade with his right forearm protectively extended a little, to make others shy off. Too Quick Looks He allowed Baran to get past but he was still well positioned at the top of the back straight Then he went past Baran and past Davies. Davies who, until this happened, had looked strong and powerful, chased grimly. Davies is the man from the forest lands of Tokoroa and his running was conveying that hardiness. But Snell might also have been, for in his stride was the crashing of tall timber. And there was also something else—a certain rapture. It is not being fanciful to suggest that he comes to life in extraordinary fashion when he is running well. He does —-he looks alert and keen, his eyes seem to gleam. It was in this manner that

he took a glance over his right shoulder as he came racing around the last bend and then, as if exuberant at what he saw, looked again on the inside. He looked again as the straight opened. The margin was already 10 yards and it

was going to be easy. Behind him three men were looking constantly at each other as they struggled on—Davies, the Englishman, Alan Simpson and the Czech, Odlozil. They clawed their way to the tape in a line, Odlozil fractionally ahead and Davies just better than Simpson, who dived from a yard back in an