Peter Snell: From Olympian to Scientist

by Peter Snell

This biography is the full account of Peter Snell's life as sensational athlete and respected scientist and academic. It picks up the story from Peter's first biography No Bugles, No Drums, which was published in 1965.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

268 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far and away one of the most interesting books I've read.
What a life of achievements Peter Snell had. His academic life had just as much of an impact on athletes as his olympic medals have.
I've turned down more corners that in any other book, but the best quotes are of course at the end, where he talks about what he'd change about Arthur Lydiard's training regime now that he knows the science behind what Lydiard got them to do. His answer? "I would not change anything."
He also laments the American college scholarship system where US middle-distance runners are over trained and over competed.
All-in-all, a fascinating insight into the life of a remarkable athlete and scientist, husband and father. I have plenty of takeaways from this book, as the mother of a young sprint athlete.
I recommend it.

[Malcolm Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a sport enthusiast, I enjoyed the first half of the book. With diary inserts from Snell added a realness to the framework. The concluding chapters of the book, summarise the research findings with real life application.