British Empire and Commonwealth Games gold medal

This gold medal was won by New Zealander Peter Snell in the one mile race at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, in 1962. He also won gold in the 880 yard race.

Snell broke dramatically onto the world athletics stage at the Rome Olympics in 1960 when he won the gold medal for the 800m race. He went on to win two more golds at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 in an unrepeatable double of the men's 800m and 1500m.

Sir Peter Snell

Sir Peter Snell (1938-2019) was one of the world’s greatest athletes in one of the world’s most admired sports - middle-distance running. In 2000 he was named New Zealand’s Sports Champion of the 20th Century. During his running career he won three Olympic gold medals, two British Empire and Commonwealth Games gold medals, and set six world records. In 2002 he was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport, becoming Sir Peter in 2009.

Snell was a pupil of the master coach Arthur Lydiard who was responsible for the finest era in New Zealand athletics from 1951-66.