VOA标准英语2008年-New Zealand Gets Rare Olympic Track Medal

Nicholas Willis has won a bronze medal in the men's 1500-meter race at the Beijing Olympics. He is one of many athletes who lives in the United States but was born in another country. VOA's Jim Stevenson has more on the middle distance runner from New Zealand.
　
Nicholas Willis holds his country's flag as he celebrates victory in men's 1500m event at Commonwealth¹ Games (Mar 2006 file photo)

Not many athletes from New Zealand capture² a track medal at the Olympics. But 25-year-old Nicholas Willis has. And, he hopes his success in Beijing resonates in his homeland.

"The spread that this sport has reached worldwide now - Kenya, Bahrain, (Ramzi) formerly³ of Morocco, you have got a guy from South Africa (Juan van Deventer, 3:34.77) in the race, Great Britain (Andy Baddeley, 3:35.37). To get a bronze medal for me means just as much," Willis said.

Moroccan-born Rashid Ramzi, who runs for Bahrain, won the 1500 meter event on Tuesday (3:32.94). Asbel Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya won the silver (3:33.11). Willis (3:34.16) says his appearance on the podium shows how popular the event has become.

"From the Western world sometimes, sometimes we struggle to compete against the Africans all the time. I feel like I am representing a huge range of track and field fans," he said.

In 2006, Willis became the first Kiwi runner to win the 1500 meter race at the regional Commonwealth Games. He says he feels a lot of responsibility to run well.

"It gives the kids a lot of young kids hope that someone from a town like Lower Hutt of 100,000 people, where track and field is not big," Willis explained. "I came from a high school of 2,000 kids. And, I was one of only two people who ran track. To come from that and now get a chance to be on the medal podium, it means a huge, huge amount."

His brother, Steve Willis, is also an athlete. They are the only brothers in the history of New Zealand to have both run a mile (1.6 kilometers) in under four minutes. Currently⁴, Nicholas Willis is studying economics⁵ at the University of Michigan in the United States. He recently married and is living in Ann Arbor⁶, Michigan.

1 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

2 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

3 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

6 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。