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Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria University Wellington. Vol. 24, No. 1. 1961

Consider the Facts

Consider the Facts

Consider the facts. Firstly Snell is built much more heavily than Moens, and as it is an accepted fact that a heavier athlete needs more training than another who is lighter, then perhaps both men are right in their training methods, and Moens was wrong to criticise Snell.

Should Snell develop into a class miler, he will undoubtedly be one of the most powerfully built in the history of the race, and applying the principle mentioned previously he will have to train relatively hard than Lovelock did in his time, not only because of the faster times, although Snell has not yet beaten Lovelock's best.

Secondly, Moens is the world record holder, and has been since 1955. Now in this day and age, a world record that is 6 years old is a rarity indeed and should not be brushed off lightly. Besides this however, he is now 30, and for a man to foot it with International 800m. men for as long as he has is nothing short of marvellous. He was a not-so-far-away second to Snell in the Rome Olympics, remember. And all this with his training methods almost diametrically opposed to Snell's.

So what does it show. Merely the old meat and poison theory in a not so new guise. Besides which Snell's methods are by no means unknown in Europe. Remember the legendary Emil Zatopek and his training feats.

—B.D.