An inspiring sportsperson

girl making a heart sign

Read about the sportspeople, then do the exercise and write a comment to practise writing in English.

Help

  • Do the preparation activity to help you with words from the text.
  • Read the text, then play the game.
  • You can also print the worksheet for more practice.
  • Read the discussion question and write a comment!
Reading text

swimmer

An inspiring swimmer

I love swimming and I love Ellie Simmonds because she's such a good swimmer! She was the youngest ever British swimmer to compete in the Paralympic Games, aged 13 – and she even won a medal. She went on to win eight Olympic medals, and five of them were gold! Ellie Simmonds has a medical condition called achondroplasia, which affects your height and the length of your arms and legs. Ellie is inspiring because she shows that it doesn't matter what size you are – everyone can achieve great things if they work hard.


tennis player

Amazing tennis players

My favourite sport is tennis, and the Williams sisters were amazing tennis players. They started playing when they were four and became professional by the age of 14. They often played matches against each other. Serena has won more tournaments than Venus. She won 23 women's singles titles in Grand Slam tournaments (the four major tennis tournaments worldwide), which is an amazing achievement! Serena and Venus Williams have been role models for many young players. Venus once said 'Just believe in yourself. Even if you don't, just pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.' I love that!
 


footballer

The greatest footballer of all time

If you're a football fan like me, you're sure to know Lionel Messi! Some people say it's Ronaldo, but for me Messi is the greatest of all time! I like him because of his amazing skills – dribbling, passing and, of course, scoring goals! I was so happy when he led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup final. Messi is inspiring for young people. He's a good friend to his teammates and he said it's more important 'to be a good person than the best player in the world'.

Top tips

To write about someone you admire, you can write about:

  1. why you like them: I love Ellie Simmonds because she's such a good swimmer
  2. their life: They started playing when they were four
  3. their achievements: She won eight Olympic medals
  4. why they are inspiring: She shows that everyone can achieve great things if they work hard. 

Documents

Worksheet139.34 KB

Discussion

Tell us about a sportsperson you like. What are their achievements and why are they so inspiring? Tell us about them!

Average: 3.3 (7 votes)

Tags

English courses for children aged 6-17

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