New Zealand Olympic 1500m legends welcome Nick Willis to their special club
"It's a fantastic achievement, but just what he deserves because he's stuck at it for a long time. He's had his ups and downs but I believe he was in very good shape going into this competition... it became a tactician's race and Nick put himself in a position to win."
By Marc Hinton, Stuff
"Welcome to the club", has been the resounding message from the two living legends of Kiwi 1500 metre running for history-making Rio bronze medallist Nick Willis.
Both Sir Peter Snell and Sir John Walker have embraced the achievements of the 33-year-old Willis at the just-completed Rio Olympics, where he produced a brilliantly timed late run to finish a surprise third in the 1500m final on Sunday (NZT).
Allied with the silver medal he won in the same event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, it makes Willis New Zealand's first ever multiple medallist in the 1500m. He also becomes the oldest podium-finisher there has been in the event's long history, surpassing the silver-winning efforts of then 32-year-old Kenyan great Kip Keino at the 1972 Games.
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