France Shines in Swimming Two Years Before Los Angeles Olympics
Listen to the story
French swimming is doing very well now. The Olympic Games are in two years. They will be in Los Angeles. One swimmer is very famous. His name is Léon Marchand. He helps the French team a lot. But he is not alone. Other swimmers are also doing great things.
There was a big competition called the Euro swimming championship. France won a silver medal in the 4x200m relay race. A swimmer named Sauveur Cristofini helped the team a lot. Léon Marchand also swam in this race. The French team is called Les Bleus.
Now people talk about the next Olympic Games. They will happen in Los Angeles. Léon Marchand has a big goal. He wants to win six individual gold titles. This means winning six races alone, not with a team. It is a very hard goal. Many people think it is possible for him.
Vocabulary15 words
- competition
- an event where people try to win
- Euro
- a sports event for European countries
- championship
- a big competition to find the best team or person
- silver medal
- a prize for coming second place
- relay
- a race where team members swim one after another
- Sauveur Cristofini
- a French swimmer on the relay team
- Les Bleus
- a nickname for French national sports teams
- goal
- something you want to do or achieve
- individual
- done by one person alone
- titles
- prizes for being the best
- Olympic Games
- a very big world sports competition
- Los Angeles
- a city in the United States
- swimmer
- a person who swims, often in races
- team
- a group of people who play or work together
- famous
- known by many people
Quiz
Answer key
1. Los Angeles 2. Silver 3. Six
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
French swimming is doing very well now. The Olympic Games are in _____ years.
They will be in _____.
One swimmer is very famous. His name is Léon _____.
There was a big competition called the Euro swimming _____.
France won a _____ medal in the 4x200m relay race.
A swimmer named _____ helped the team a lot.
The French team is called Les _____.
Léon Marchand has a big _____.
He wants to win six _____ gold titles.
It is a very hard goal, but many people think it is _____.