French Athletes at European Championships in Birmingham
Listen to the story
The European Championships are happening in Birmingham. Many athletes from France are there.
Le Clezio and Robert-Michon did well. They moved to the next round of their events. This is called a qualification.
But other French athletes had a hard day. Gabriel Tual ran in the 800m race. He lost in the semi-final. This means he did not reach the final.
Tual said he feels a lot of pressure. He thinks too much before he runs. He said this makes him doubt himself.
Yanis Meziane also ran the 800m. He did not qualify for the semi-final. He said he was the fastest runner who did not qualify.
Meziane said this result is frustrating. He was very close to going further in the competition.
The European Championships have many races. Athletes from many countries compete for medals.
The French team has some good results and some hard ones. This is normal in big sports events.
Vocabulary15 words
- European Championships
- a big sports competition for countries in Europe
- qualification
- when you get the right to go to the next round
- semi-final
- the round before the last round in a competition
- pressure
- a feeling that you must do something well
- doubt
- not feeling sure about something
- frustrating
- making you feel angry or upset
- athlete
- a person who does sports like running
- compete
- to try to win against others
- medal
- a prize you get for winning
- event
- one race or competition in sports
- final
- the last round of a competition
- team
- a group of people who play or compete together
- result
- what happens at the end of a competition
- race
- a competition to see who is fastest
- round
- one part of a competition
Quiz
Answer key
1. Le Clezio and Robert-Michon 2. He lost in the semi-final 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The _____ Championships are happening in Birmingham. Many athletes from France are there.
Le Clezio and Robert-Michon did well. They moved to the next round of their events. This is called a _____.
But other French athletes had a hard day. Gabriel Tual ran in the 800m race. He lost in the _____.
Tual said he feels a lot of _____. He thinks too much before he runs. He said this makes him _____ himself.
Yanis Meziane also ran the 800m. He did not _____ for the semi-final. He said he was the fastest runner who did not qualify.
Meziane said this result is _____. He was very close to going further in the competition.
The French _____ has some good results and some hard ones. This is normal in big sports events.