Hi out there. I'd like to make a few comments concerning the posts about Peter Snell. I will not judge him versus Seb Coe and the rest. I just note that they both were super athletes, and the best thing with this discussion is that we now write about them. Abot Peter Snell. His 800 WR was 1:44.3 (not 1:44.1) as noted. This was clocked in an 880 yard race in Christchurch, NZL, on Feb 3, 1962. (The race started at 14.55 / 2.55PM). The venue was Lancaster Park and it was a grass track. I have not found any numbers on the length of the lap. But - I think that it might have been full size. His 1 Mile record the same year was set at the grass track in Wanganui, which was 385 yards (=352.04 m). I think we might have the confusing factor there. The results: 1. Peter Snell 1:45.1 (880 y = WR. All three watches 1:45.1). 800 m: 1:44.3 =WR (watches at 1:44.2 - 1:44.3 - 1:44.4). 2. James Dupree, USA 1:49.6 3. John Bork, USA 1:53.5 The pace was set by Barry Robinson, who passed 440 y at 50.7. Snell's splits were: 24.8y - 26.2y (51.0y) - 25.9y (1:16.9y) - 28.2y (1:45.1y). Lap times 51.0y - 54.1y. Was he running barefoot? I have a picture which is said to be from that race, and on that picture he wears spikes. So I guess - NO. The old WR's were by the way completely smashed. 800 m: 1:45.7 Roger Moens, BEL 1955 880 y: 1:46.8 Tom Courtney, USA 1957 Peter Snell broke a few other WR's as well. 1000 m: 2:16.6 Auckland, Nov 12 1964. (Prev record 2:16.7 Siegfried Valentin, GDR 1960) 1 Mile: 3:54.4 Wanganui Jan 27, 1962. (Prev record 3:54.5 Herb Elliott, AUS 1958) 3:54.1 Auckland Nov 17, 1964. (Snell broke his own record. Acutally FAT 3:54.04) 660 y (unofficial record): 1:16.9y (Intermediate time in the 800/880 race) (Prev record 1:17.0y Jack Yerman, USA 1959) 1000 y: 2:06.0i Los Angeles Feb 10, 1962 (160 y banked boards). (Prev record 2:07.1 (outdoors) Ernie Cunliffe, USA 1961. Snell's win at the Tokyo OG 1500 indeed was impressive. But the winning time was 3:38.1, (no 3:35...) still impressive. (The 3:35... was the 3:35.6 by Herb Elliott in Rome 1960 - also on cinder (Ryun's 3:33.1 in 1967 was also a cinder track mark!) Snell's winning margin was impressive as well. 1.5 sec to both silver winner Josef Odlozil of Czechoslovakia and bronze winner John Davies of New Zealand. Well, there we have some facts. A good writer also mentions his sources. Most of the results (all concerning the WR races, except the 440 split for pace maker Barry Robinson) come from the superb "Progression of world best performances and official IAAF World Records". Main author Richard Hyman. Published in 1999. Some facts come from the Swedish annual "Friidrott", a series which in text, pictures and statistics covers the Track year and which has been around since 1960. It's also in that book that I have found the picture from the 1962 800/880 race. Mats Åkerlind Gävle, Sweden "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
