📙 Part 2: Describe a successful sportsperson you admire

This episode's vocabulary

Look Up To Someone (phrasal verb) – To admire or respect a person. → Andy Murray is someone I look up to.

Internationally Renowned (adjective phrase) – Famous around the world. → Andy Murray is internationally renowned.

Stick Out (phrasal verb) – To be noticeable or memorable. → One sportsperson sticks out in my mind.

Chip Off The Old Block (idiom) – Someone who is similar to their parent. → He may be a chip off the old block like his mother.

Let Fame Go To His Head (idiom) – To become arrogant because of success. → He hasn’t let fame go to his head.

Level-Headed (adjective) – Calm, sensible, and practical. → He seems quite level-headed in interviews.

Come Across As (phrasal verb) – To give a particular impression. → He comes across as modest.

Rise Up In Your Field (verb phrase) – To become successful in a profession. → It takes dedication to rise up in your field.

Role Model (noun) – Someone who others admire and try to copy. → He is a good role model for young people.

Dedication (noun) – Strong commitment and effort. → His success shows real dedication.

Elite Athlete (noun phrase) – A sportsperson competing at the highest level. → Andy Murray is an elite athlete.

Sporting Legacy (noun phrase) – Long-term influence in sport. → He has left a strong sporting legacy.

Mental Resilience (noun phrase) – The ability to stay strong under pressure. → Tennis requires great mental resilience.

Public Figure (noun phrase) – A person well known to the public. → He is a respected public figure.

National Pride (noun phrase) – A feeling of pride in one’s country. → His success brings national pride.

Questions and Answers

Maria: You should say who he or she is, what you know about him or her, what he or she is like in real life, what achievements he or she has made, and explain why you admire them.

Rory: To be honest, there aren't many sportspeople I look up to that often, since it's not really my thing. But one that does stick out in my mind is Andy Murray. He's a tennis player from Scotland, though I think he's fairly well known, maybe even internationally renowned, though I don't really follow tennis or any other sport for that matter, so that could also not be true. That's probably why I don't know a great deal about him as a person. Obviously, he comes from the same country as I do, and he went to school in a county that's quite close by, but I think that's about all I can say for certain. I imagine, like many sportspeople, he runs lots of events for students in the local area to encourage them to take up tennis and be healthier. I know for a fact his mother does that, so maybe he's something of a chip off the old block that way, and that's quite admirable.

As for what he's like in real life, again, having never met him, I can't say for sure, but from what I have seen in the passing, when he's in various interviews and things, he doesn't seem to have let fame go to his head, and he comes across as fairly level-headed. I think that's also something people could aspire to, since modesty is something people really like in others, at least in my country.

When it comes to his achievements, well, obviously he's a very good tennis player, and I think he's either won or come close to winning Wimbledon or other various competitions on numerous occasions. It's not something I ever plan to do myself, but you have to give him some credit for the dedication it takes to rise up in your fields, especially to get to the top like that. And that's why I think he's definitely a good role model for others. If we didn't have Andy Murray, we would definitely be short of those in my country. There are not many people who live there.

Maria: And what about your friends? Do they like this person?

Rory: I imagine so. We haven't talked him that much, to be honest.