“Lightning Bolt” makes history
Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's 200m final during the London 2012 Olympic Games in London. AFP
By Terry Fredrickson
Usain Bolt, with Olympic gold in the 100/200 metres is now officially a “legend,” the world’s fastest human, but even he admits he may not be the greatest athlete. Read, then watch the 200 metres final on the Youtube Olympic channel.
This can make a very exciting language lesson. You’ll notice this AFP story tries to capture the drama and atmosphere of the men’s 200 metre final. Read it and then watch what was described on the Youtube Olympic channel: http://youtu.be/LWZQAVtkMBo
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Click button to listen to Bolt 200 and rightclick to download
“Lightning Bolt” makes history
Bolt and his compatriot Yohan Blake were well ahead of their opponents as they came out of the turn. REUTERS
LONDON, AFP: This was it. The race that would decide whether Usain Bolt, the fastest man the world has ever seen, would become a legend – according to the Jamaican sprint star himself.
And the 25-year-old delivered in his own inimitable style, lighting up the London 2012 Games once again to fulfil his own prophecy.
Taking the race in 19.32sec, Bolt had the Olympic Stadium crowd on their feet to hail the track king.
The 80,000 spectators were already in party mood before the showdown, with Mexican waves sweeping round the stadium as they waited for the night's star attraction.
The sun having set 20 minutes before, the stadium's crown of triangular floodlights were now on full beam.
Pounding strings told the stadium it was 8:55 pm – showtime.
Introduced to the crowd, Christophe Lemaitre wiped his lips, blinked and stared at the floor. Alex Quinonez shook his head at the camera. Yohan Blake lived up to his nickname of "The Beast", performing his scary fingers routine.
Churandy Martina wagged his finger at the camera and gave himself a quick round of applause. Wallace Spearmon pointed to the USA written across his chest.
Then came Bolt. He waved his hand like a royal on autopilot and gave a double finger point down the barrel of the camera as the decibel level went through the roof.
Compatriot Warren Weir rubbed his hands together and Anaso Jobodwana, in the outside lane, just looked nervous.
The thudding sound of a heartbeat played over the speakers.
Take your marks.
Blake looked up and around. Bolt appealed for quiet, putting his fingers to his lips and Bolt gave one last point skywards.
Set.
The pregnant hush hung heavy. The whirring sound of the blimp overhead could be heard, for the first time.
Go!
As Bolt and his compatriot Blake pulled clear on the bend, the sense spread that this was something special.
And within seconds, Bolt made sure he made history.
Turning to look at the clock and putting his finger to his lips as he crossed the line, Bolt ran beyond the thick white stripe and into realm of legends, slapping his chest as he went.
Clearly with plenty of energy left in the tank, the playful star got down and did some press-ups before hugging Blake, as close a friend as he is a rival.
Bolt grabbed a Jamaican flag and set off on his victory lap, burying his head in the crowd as fans reached out to touch their hero.
A wave of excitement followed him around the stadium, accompanied by fans chanting "Usain! Usain! Usain!".
When he completed his lap, Bolt got down on his knees and kissed the finish line, then drew himself up and did his trademark 'Lightning Bolt' pose, pointing at two official timekeepers in red jackets.
Still excited long after the race, Bolt told reporters, “I'm now a legend, I'm also the greatest athlete to live."
Later, however, he had second thoughts. When asked directly if he thought he was a better athlete than decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, Bolt backed down.
"I'm a great athlete, but to do 10 events, especially the 1500m, I have got to give it to him!" Bolt said.
While the focus was on Bolt, Jamaican sprinters Warren Weir, left, Bolt and Blake took all three medals. AFP
You can read previous article at www.bangkokpost.com/learning/all-article.
Vocabulary
drama – something exciting or unusual that happens พฤติกรรมเกินจริง
atmosphere – the mood or feeling that exists in a place บรรยากาศ
lightning bolt – a sudden flash of lightning in the sky, appearing as a line, often used when referring to Olympic champion Usain Bolt แสงแปลบปลาบของฟ้าแล็บ
legend – a very famous person, especially in a particular field, who is admired by other people บุคคลที่มีชื่อเสียง
sprinter – a runner who races in short, very fast events นักวิ่งระยะสั้น
inimitable – too good or unusual for anyone else to copy with the same effect ซึ่งไม่สามารถจะเลียนแบบได้,เลิศล้ำ
fulfil – to achieve something that you wanted to do, or to get something that you hoped for สำเร็จ
prophecy – a statement that something will happen in the future การทำนาย, การพยากรณ์
hail – to praise; to say good things about ชื่นชม
spectator – a person who watches an activity, especially a sports event, without taking part ผู้เข้าชม
mood – the way you feel at a particular time อารมณ์
Mexican wave – when groups of spectators briefly stand and raise their arms, making it appear that a wave is going around the stadium
sweep – to move or spread quickly through an area เคลื่อนไปอย่างรวดเร็ว
attraction – something that creates interest and brings people to see it การดึงดูดความสนใจ
triangular – shaped like a triangle เป็นรูปสามเหลี่ยม
floodlight – a large powerful lamp, used for lighting sports grounds, theatre stages and the outside of buildings แสงไฟที่สว่างจ้าใช้ในสนามกีฬาหรือนอกอาคาร
beam – a line of light flowing in one direction ลำแสง
pounding – beating forcefully or heavily
strings (stringed instruments)
wipe – to rub something against a surface, in order to remove dirt or liquid from it; to rub a surface with a cloth, etc. in order to clean it เช็ด
lip – either of the two soft edges at the opening to the mouth ริมฝีปาก
blink – to close and then open your eyes quickly once or several times, กะพริบตา
stare – to look at someone or something very directly for a long time จ้องมอง
nickname – an informal name for someone or something, especially a name which you are called by your friends or family, usually based on your proper name or your character ชื่อเล่น
beast – an animal, especially a large or wild one สัตว์ใหญ่ สัตว์ป่า
scary – frightening น่าตกใจ, น่ากลัว
routine – a series of movements that are part of a performance
wag – to move something from side to side แกว่งไปมา, กระดิกไปมา
applause – showing enjoyment or approval of something such as a performance or speech by clapping the hands repeatedly to make a noise การปรบมือแสดงความชื่นชม
a royal on autopilot – a acting like a member of a royal family who waves to the crowd automatically without thinking
barrel – a long round part of something, in this case a camera
decibel – a unit for measuring how loud a sound is หน่วยวัดระดับความดังของเสียง
decibel level – the loudness of a sound
go through the roof – to be extremely loud; to go to an extremely high level
compatriot – a person who is from the same country as you are คนชาติเดียวกัน
rub (hands) – to move your hands backwards and forwards over your hands while pressing firmly ถูมือ
nervous – anxious about something or afraid of something กระวนกระวาย
thud – a sound like the one which is made when a heavy object hits something else เสียงดังตุ้บ
take your marks – the command given by the starter for competitors to get into position to start the race
set – the command to competitors to be ready for the sound of the starting gun
bend – a curve โค้ง
realm – a kingdom อาณาจักร, ราชอาณาจักร
slap – to hit with the flat part of the hand ตบ
chest – the upper front part of the body of humans and some animals, between the stomach and the neck, containing the heart and lungs หน้าอก
press-ups – push-ups; an exercise in which you lie on your stomach and raise your body off the ground by pressing down on your hands until your arms are straight การวิดพื้น
hug –to put your arms round someone กอด
rival – a person you are competing against or opposing คู่แข่ง
lap – one journey from the beginning to the end of a track used for running, driving, etc รอบ
bury – to cover completely
trademark - something particularly noticeable that a person typically has เครื่องหมายประจำตัว
pose – to pretend to be something วางท่า
athlete – someone who is good at sports and takes part in sports competitions นักกีฬา
have second thoughts - to change your opinion about something or start to doubt it เริ่มสงสัยว่าสิ่งที่ทำอยู่ถูกหรือเปล่า
decathlon – a sporting event in which people compete in ten different sports การแข่งขันกรีฑา 10 ประเภท
