Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Hall of fame a fantastic honour, says Snell

Updated at 10:15 am on 6 August 2012

Sir Peter Snell says being chosen for an international sports hall of fame is a fantastic honour for both himself and athletics in New Zealand.

The New Zealand running legend will be one of 24 inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federation's hall of fame, along with such track greats as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi, Fanny Blankers-Koen and Emil Zatopek.

The triple Olympic gold medal winner told Morning Report the honour reflects New Zealand's sporting achievements.

"I think collectively the Kiwis have done extraordinarily well," Sir Peter says, "and if you look at our medals per head of population it's probably way ahead of anyone else."

In a short career Sir Peter won three Olympic gold medals - the 800 metres in Rome in 1960 and the 800 and 1500 metres in Tokyo in 1964.

The official hall of fame induction ceremony will be held at the IAAF centenary gala in the Spanish city of Barcelona in November.

Simon Mercep interviews Peter Snell on Morning Report

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