Snell, Yachtsmen Win Gold Medals

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30578, 22 October 1964, Page 1

Snell, Yachtsmen Win Gold Medals

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) TOKYO, October 21. New Zealand had a day of resounding success at the Tokyo Olympic Games today and now proudly holds three gold medals and two bronze from the most successful week ever at the Olympics. P. G. Snell won the Games classic, the 1500 metres today, and completed a double victory unmatched at Olympic Games for 44 years. Last week he won the 800 metres. H. O. L. Pedersen and E. L. Wells, completed New Zealand’s golden day by winning the Flying Dutchman yachting championship. J. L. Davies, third to Snell in the 1500 metres, took a bronze medal to add to the one Miss M. A. M. Chamberlain won for New Zealand in the women’s 800 metres yesterday.

New Zealand has now won 10 Olympic gold medals since the welter-weight boxing champion, E. Morgan, gained the first, at Amsterdam in 1928.

Snell is the second New Zealander to win the Olympic 1500 metres, and he won in the same commanding way that Jack Lovelock took the gold medal at Berlin nearly 30 years ago.' Pedersen and Wells, in their victory, confirmed the great reputation that P. G. Mander and J. U. Cropp won for New Zealand yachtsmen with their gold medal in Melbourne in 1956. Fastest Double

Today’s double gold medal victory surpassed in speed the remarkable performance of Snell and M. G. Halberg

in winning two gold medals within an hour at Rome.

Today’s two wins were known within half-an-hour, and Snell knew the yachtsmen had won their championship a few minutes after his victory ceremony. Snell and Davies had the distinction of putting two New Zealand flags to the Olympic masthead. This was the first time New Zealand had won two medals in one Olympic event, and New Zealanders in the Tokyo stadium had the experience of seeing the flags flying together high over the vast arena. Snell’s Fifth

Snell and Davies received their medals from Sir Arthur Porritt, the first New Zealander to win an Olympic track medal. Snell has now won five gold medals—three in Olym-

pic competition and two at the Commonwealth Games in Perth—and Sir Arthur has presented all of them. For the first time since he arrived in Tokyo almost a month ago, Snell looked a completely happy man tonight as he left the stadium with his wife, Sally, to celebrate. After today’s race Snell admitted that he was so tired before the final—six races in eight days—that he was not sure he could find his finishing “kick” which has become his trade mark in world athletics. More Devastating His “kick” today, as it turned out, was even more devastating than usual, and he left a field of the best middle-distance runners in the world far behind once he headed for the line. Davies was one of Snell’s toughest opponents, but not even he could get near the champion over the last 250 metres. Snell and the Belgian steeplechase champion, Gustave Roelants, were the only two track runners to stop the strong American team from scoring a clean sweep from 100 metres to 10,000 metres. Snell has become one of the great personalities of the 1964 Olympic Games. To the huge Japanese crowds filling the stadium every day, he is “Kuroi Ran-ningu No Hito”— the man in black who cuts down the field in race after race. They were not disappointed by him today. Two sections of the New Zealand team have yet to complete their events. The cyclists will be riding in the individual road race tomorrow, and the horse jumping team will be in action in the Grand Prix event in the main stadium on Saturday—the closing day of the games.