He was planning on a roast dinner and a game of table tennis when he died in Dallas

Peter George Snell was born on December 17, 1938 in Opunake.
As a child his family moved to Te Aroha and he discovered running while boarding at Mt Albert Grammar School where initial forays into the mile and 880 yards saw him finish adrift.

Under the tutelage of famed coach Arthur Lydiard, Snell became one of the most dominant middle-distance runners in history
He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only male since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964.
 

See video of Peter Snell Mens 800 metres Rome 1960 (Peter Snell Documentary)

The Lancaster Park crowd was on its feet as the 1960 Olympic champion shattered the world 800m and 880 yards records on February 3, 1962.
His 1min 44.3sec 800m time remains the fastest over the distance on a grass track and endures as the New Zealand record.

Kiwi Olympian Peter Snell at Lancaster Park in 1962, when he broke two world records in the same race.

Adopting a new sport, Snell became an active orienteer and won his category, men aged 65 and older, in the 2003 United States Orienteering Championship.
He was a past president of the North Texas Orienteering Association and a member of the United States Orienteering Federation.

Snell also became a competitive table tennis player including competing in Texas state (finishing in the top 4 in the 75+ age category) and US championship events and also the 2017 World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

A Great Kiwi Remembered By Many