Sir Peter Snell inducted into Hall of Fame

New Zealand's sportsperson of the century Sir Peter Snell will be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame.

A middle distance runner with three Olympic gold medals, Sir Peter is one of 24 new inductees, who will be given the honour in November.

Peter George Snell, born in the Taranaki coastal town of Opunake, was little known outside of Auckland until he went to the Rome Olympics in 1960, winning national celebrity when he won the 800 metres.

Two years later he set a world mile record in Wanganui and in Christchurch a week after that he set two more world records.

Peter Snell set two world records in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics, including one for the mile, before retiring the following year.

He had won three Olympic and two Commonwealth Ganes gold medals.

He went to live in the US in the 1970s, and has been at the University of Texas since 1990.

He is director of the Human Performance Centre there.

In 2000 he was voted New Zealand's Sports Champion of the Twentieth Century.

Peter Snell, who had been awarded an MBE in 1962, was honoured with a knighthood in 2009.

He will be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame in November.

Photo: PhotoSport