The face of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

admin 2018年5月18日

Vocabulary:

phenomenon /fi-NOM-uh-non/

[noun] someone or something that is special because of its special abilities
The Beatles was a phenomenon.

hold (someone) in high esteem /hahy ih-STEEM/

[idiomatic verb] to be respected and loved
Many avid readers hold Wittgenstein in high esteem despite his alleged violent tendencies.

division /dih-VIZH-uhn/

[noun] a group of teams that play against each other in a particular sport
She started competing in the lower divisions and worked her way up.

follow in (someone’s) footsteps /FOL-oh in FOOT-step/

[idiomatic verb] to do the same thing as someone else, esp. someone in your family, previously did
Jam is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a neurosurgeon.

record-breaking /REK-erd BREY-king/

[adjective] better than someone or something that has come before
This will be a record-breaking year for the company.

A 17-year-old Judo phenomenon has become the face of Tokyo 2020. Uta Abe started getting into the sport when she was five years old. She comes from an athletic family and has siblings who are also Judo players. In fact, her brother, Hifumi, is held in high esteem in the judo community and currently the undefeated world champion in the half-lightweight division. The younger Abe said that he has been an inspiration to her and added that she wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Like her brother, Uta also remains to be an undefeated player in international judo competitions. She had a record-breaking performance in the Dusseldorf Grand Prix 2017 wherein she managed to defeat world champions Ai Shishime and Amandine Buchard. Joining various tournaments is her top priority as she is aiming for the gold medal.

True or False:

Uta Abe is a 20-year-old phenomenal judo player.
Hifumi Abe is the reigning mixed martial arts champion in half-lightweight division.
Uta Abe has never experienced defeat in international competitions.
Uta defeated world champions Ai Shisime and Amandine Buchard in 2018.
Hifumi aspires to follow in the footsteps of Uta.

Discussion Questions:

Do you think doing sports is important for people’s health? Discuss.
Is being defeated an important experience in life? Why or why not?
How does playing sports help people mentally?
Should the government fund the country’s athletes? Why or why not?
Do you think all sports are equal? Discuss.

Express Your Opinion:

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi
“Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.” – Billie Jean King
“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Broun