Swimming: Snell says Loader right to quit

DUNEDIN - Peter Snell, one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, believes Danyon Loader should be cherished by New Zealanders.

The triple Olympic champion, multiple world recordholder and New Zealand sportsperson of the century said from his Dallas, Texas, home yesterday that Loader was one of his favourite athletes.

And he said he regarded Dunedin's swimming sensation as a kindred spirit: "I see myself in him a lot."

Snell said Loader's retirement this week was no surprise - and was the right decision.

"I got the impression from talking to him earlier this year that he was sick of the sight of the pool," Snell said. "If he himself feels he's not capable of giving his best effort then I feel he's doing the right thing.

"I think it was fantastic what he did at Atlanta [where Loader won two gold medals]. That was obviously his high point, and that's pretty hard to emulate."

Snell said there were similarities between Loader and how he felt in 1962 when he was beginning to think he was comfortable with what he had achieved and was not sure if he wanted to make the sacrifices necessary to continue.

"It was only the special challenge of Tokyo in 1964 that kept me going."

Snell won the 800m gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the 800m and 1500m double four years later in Tokyo.

Snell said he felt Loader had been subjected to unfair treatment in recent years.

"I still feel conformity pressure in New Zealand. That's probably why I feel more comfortable here [in the US]," he said. "I think Danyon probably feels the same thing."

- NZPA