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Spain Enjoys Historic Day at European Athletics Championships

a spanish flag flying in front of a building
Photo by Chris Boland on Unsplash
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Spain had a great day at the European Championships in Birmingham. Spanish athletes won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. People are calling it a historic day for Spanish sport.

One new star is Paul McGrath. He is young and he does race walking. Race walking is a sport where people walk very fast. McGrath is studying journalism at university. He also says that religion helps him in life and in sport.

McGrath said something strong after his good result. He said that from now on, a bronze or a silver medal will feel like a failure for him. This shows he wants only gold medals in the future.

Another big name is María Pérez. People call her 'the queen of race walking'. She won another gold medal in Birmingham. She is already thinking about the next big event: the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Spain's team is very happy with this result. Two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in one day is a great result for the country. Fans hope this success continues at future competitions.

Vocabulary7 words

European Championships
a big sports competition between countries in Europe
athletes
people who do sport at a high level
race walking
a sport where you walk very fast, not run
journalism
the job of writing news
religion
belief in God or a faith
failure
when something is not good enough
Olympic Games
the biggest sports event in the world, every 4 years

Quiz

1. How many gold medals did Spain win in Birmingham?
2. What sport does Paul McGrath do?
3. True or false: María Pérez is already thinking about the Los Angeles Olympics.

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Spain had a great day at the _____ in Birmingham. Spanish athletes won two gold medals, one silver, and one _____. People are calling it a historic day for Spanish sport.

One new star is Paul McGrath. He is young and he does _____. Race walking is a sport where people walk very fast. McGrath is studying _____ at university. He also says that _____ helps him in life and in sport.

McGrath said something strong after his good result. He said that from now on, a bronze or a silver medal will feel like a _____ for him. This shows he wants only gold medals in the future.

Another big name is María Pérez. People call her 'the queen of race walking'. She won another _____ medal in Birmingham. She is already thinking about the next big event: the _____ in Los Angeles.

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