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Italian Athletes Shine at European Championships

a young girl holding a european flag in front of a crowd of people
Photo by Antoine Schibler on Unsplash

Italian athletes enjoyed great success at the European Athletics Championships. Nadia Battocletti achieved a remarkable double win, taking gold in both the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters races. After her second victory, she said she could not fully understand how well she was performing.

Sara Quadarella also won a gold medal, and both women are now being called "queens of Europe" because of their outstanding performances.

Gianmarco Tamberi, already a well-known name in Italian athletics, was described as a "legend" after his result in the high jump. He has long been one of Italy's most successful jumpers.

Fausto Desalu added another medal for Italy, winning bronze in the 200 meters race. This means he finished in third place.

These results mark one of the best days for Italian track and field at a major European competition. Battocletti's double gold in the long-distance events was especially impressive, since winning both the 5000m and 10,000m at the same championships is very difficult.

The Italian team's strong performance across different events, from sprinting to jumping to distance running, shows the depth of talent currently representing the country internationally.

Vocabulary5 words

European Athletics Championships
a very important running and jumping competition for European countries
double win
winning two events in one competition
legend
someone who is very famous for being excellent
bronze
the medal given for third place
track and field
sports like running and jumping done on a sports field

Quiz

1. What did Battocletti achieve at the championships?
2. Why is Tamberi called a legend?
3. Desalu won bronze in the 200 meters. True or false?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

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

Italian athletes enjoyed great success at the _____. Nadia Battocletti achieved a remarkable _____, taking gold in both the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters races.

Sara Quadarella also won a gold medal, and both women are now being called "queens of Europe" because of their outstanding performances.

Gianmarco Tamberi, already a well-known name in Italian athletics, was described as a "_____" after his result in the high jump.

Fausto Desalu added another medal for Italy, winning _____ in the 200 meters race.

These results mark one of the best days for Italian _____ at a major European competition.

Discussion questions

  1. Why do you think winning two long-distance races at the same championships is considered so difficult?
  2. What qualities do you think a champion athlete needs to succeed in multiple events?
  3. How important are international competitions like the European Championships for a country's sports culture?
  4. Do you follow athletics? Which event do you find most exciting to watch?

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