Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Elite Athletics & The Olympic Spirit 2

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four individuals describing their relationships with their demanding sports coaches.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Which person

1   mentions a coach who deliberately withheld positive feedback to build character?

2   was penalized for prioritising their own glory over the rest of the group?

3   feels grateful for being forced to confront their fear of defeat?

4   was initially angry about the amount of free time they had to give up?

5   came close to abandoning their sport due to their coach’s attitude?

6   was disciplined with a temporary suspension from competing?

7   felt deeply embarrassed by the mismatched competitive scenarios their coach arranged?

8   credits their current flawless technique to their coach’s tedious drills?

9   mentions that their coach possessed a highly volatile temperament?

10   only understood their coach’s methods after advancing to a more elite level?

Tough Love: Surviving an Uncompromising Coach

A Leo

My former swimming coach, Mr. Harris, was a man of few words, and none of them were ever encouraging. While other instructors cheered from the poolside, he would merely point out my flawed turns or sluggish reaction times. I used to leave the pool fighting back tears, thoroughly convinced I wasn’t cut out for the sport. In fact, I was on the brink of walking away from swimming altogether during my mid-teens because his cold demeanour was so draining. I resented his inability to say “well done.” However, it was only when I qualified for the national championships under a different instructor that the penny dropped. Mr. Harris hadn’t been withholding praise out of cruelty; he was deliberately toughening me up so I wouldn’t rely on external validation. He forged a mental armour that still protects me today. Even though my current coach is incredibly supportive, I often look back and realise I owe my unshakeable focus entirely to Mr. Harris’s relentless criticism.

B Maya

Nobody pushed me harder than Coach Elena. She was an absolute perfectionist who believed that repeating a gymnastics routine a thousand times was the only route to success. As a teenager, I harboured a deep resentment towards her because her grueling weekend training camps meant I constantly had to turn down invitations to hang out with my friends. I felt robbed of a normal social life. Sometimes, I would deliberately mess up a dismount just to spite her, but she would simply make me start the entire sequence from scratch. It was infuriating. Yet, looking back, I can’t deny the effectiveness of her agonizingly repetitive methods. If she hadn’t been so relentlessly strict, I would never have acquired the discipline I rely on today. Thanks to those endless, monotonous hours on the balance beam, my muscle memory is virtually foolproof now, allowing me to execute complex flips with absolute precision. We clashed constantly, but I have immense respect for her.

C Sam

Coach Davies was legendary for his explosive mood swings. One minute he’d be calmly explaining a basketball defensive strategy, and the next he’d be shouting so loudly the gymnasium walls shook. It was like walking on eggshells around him. During my final year, I was the team’s top scorer and, admittedly, let it go to my head. I started ignoring open teammates to take flashy shots myself. Following a crucial match where I had refused to pass the ball to score on my own, Davies completely lost his temper. As a consequence, he benched me for the next three consecutive games. I was absolutely seething and felt utterly humiliated sitting on the sidelines watching my peers. However, that harsh punishment was a necessary wake-up call. I learned the hard way that individual brilliance means nothing if you aren’t working cohesively with the rest of the squad. He taught me the true meaning of sportsmanship, even if his delivery was terrifying.

D Chloe

Looking back, my tennis coach, Anton, had a brilliant, albeit twisted, psychological approach. When I was fourteen, I had a massive ego and believed I was unbeatable in my age category. To cure me of this arrogance, Anton started entering me into practice tournaments against older, semi-professional players who effortlessly destroyed me on the court. It was a profoundly degrading experience to be beaten so comprehensively in front of spectators, and I hated him for putting me through such public humiliation. I thought he simply wanted to break my spirit. In reality, he was stripping away my crippling terror of losing. Because I was forced to face overwhelming defeat repeatedly, the worst-case scenario lost its sting. Now, when I step onto the court for a major final, I am completely fearless. Anton’s uncompromising tactics weren’t about teaching me how to hit a better backhand; they were entirely about mastering my own mindset.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four young athletes talking about the intense psychological pressure of living up to the massive expectations of their home country.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   mentions relying on the guidance of a trained expert to handle their anxiety?

2   deliberately ignores press coverage to protect their mental state?

3   suffered from an involuntary bodily reaction due to pre-event nerves?

4   feels that securing first place is treated as a basic requirement rather than a spectacular achievement?

5   found relief by redirecting their focus towards their fellow athletes?

6   feels burdened by the need to match the successes of former national icons?

7   highlights the stark difference between their early, carefree days and their current obligations?

8   admits that they came very close to abandoning their athletic career?

9   uses a specific technique to block out the deafening noise of the spectators?

10   highlights the sacrifices made by their relatives as an additional source of pressure?

Carrying the Nation: The Hidden Cost of Sporting Glory

A Mateo

In my country, football isn’t just a game; it’s practically a religion. When you pull on that national jersey, you aren’t just representing a team; you’re carrying the hopes of fifty million people. Sometimes, I look back and long for the days when I was just a kid kicking a ball around in the dirt, completely oblivious to tactics or tournament standings. Nowadays, the weight of expectation is overwhelming. To preserve my sanity, I’ve had to make a strict rule: I absolutely refuse to read any sports columns or browse social media leading up to a match. The criticism can be venomous if you put a foot wrong. When I step onto the pitch, the roar of the stadium is intense. To cope, I’ve developed a habit of humming a specific rhythm to myself, which acts as a barrier, tuning out the thousands of screaming fans so I can just focus on the ball.

B Anya

Being the face of national gymnastics means you are constantly under a microscope. People expect you to project this image of flawless, smiling perfection, even when you’re dealing with agonizing injuries. A few years ago, after a disastrous performance at the World Championships, the online backlash was so incredibly harsh that I seriously considered hanging up my leotard for good. I felt like I had personally let down everyone who had ever supported me. What eventually pulled me out of that dark place wasn’t my coach or my family, but a shift in my own mindset. Instead of agonizing over the millions of people watching on television, I started pouring all my energy into my squad. I realised that I only needed to perform for the five girls standing right beside me. Concentrating on my fellow gymnasts completely changed the dynamic, transforming an unbearable national burden into a shared, manageable challenge.

C Lars

Coming from a nation with a rich heritage in winter sports, the benchmark for success is terrifyingly high. Whenever I prepare for a major downhill skiing event, reporters constantly bring up the names of legendary athletes from the eighties and nineties, implicitly demanding to know if I can replicate their gold-medal streaks. Living in the shadow of such titans is a heavy cross to bear. The stress usually hits me hardest in the starting gate. No matter how much I try to stay calm, my hands will start trembling uncontrollably just moments before the buzzer sounds. To counteract this intense physical anxiety, I close my eyes and mentally ski the entire course, picturing every turn and jump in perfect sequence. By the time I push off, I’ve already completed a flawless run in my head, which helps settle my stomach and allows my muscle memory to take over.

D Yuki

In table tennis, my country has a reputation of utter dominance, which creates a uniquely toxic environment for emerging players. For us, coming away with a silver medal is frequently treated by the press as a miserable failure rather than a podium finish; claiming gold is simply seen as doing your basic job. Adding to that intense media scrutiny is the quiet guilt I carry regarding my parents, who gave up their weekends and spent their life savings to fund my early coaching. That sense of debt can be paralyzing. Eventually, the sleepless nights became too much, and I reached breaking point. I had to seek the assistance of a sports psychologist, who taught me cognitive behavioural techniques to decouple my self-worth from my tournament results. Learning to unpack those complex emotions with a trained professional was a turning point, allowing me to finally step up to the table without feeling like the world was about to end.

Exercises:   123456