科特迪瓦跆拳道冠军参加里约奥运会

Ivorian Taekwondo Champions Head to Rio Olympics 科特迪瓦跆拳道冠军参加里约奥运会

ABIDJAN—

It is the home stretch for three Ivorian taekwondo athletes who are heading to the Rio Olympics. In their training room in the basement of the national stadium in Abidjan, they spend every morning perfecting their skills under the guidance of their coach.

The Rio Summer Games are just weeks away, and Ivory¹ Coast has won only one Olympic medal in its history. That was 32 years ago.

Track and field is still the top category for African Olympians, but Asian martial² arts are gaining ground — especially in West Africa.

In all, African nations are sending more than 50 athletes to compete in taekwondo and judo³ this year.

"We are very confident. … Our athletes are mature," said Attada Tadjou, technical director of the Ivorian Taekwondo federation⁴. "They are on a par⁵ with the best in the world."

Ruth Gbagbi, 22, competed in the London Olympics in 2012, and won gold in her category at the African Taekwondo Championships. She also won a gold medal at last year's African Games.

Gbagbi says government support is coming along gradually, as the athletes’ success grows. "But the public,” she said, “yes, we have a lot of fans who approach us, who encourage us. Ivorians are motivated.”

Young fans

Taekwondo was first introduced in Ivory Coast in the 1960s by a Korean master. The sport is now a popular extracurricular activity in Ivorian schools.

In this school in Abidjan, 100 pupils dressed in white doboks — the traditional martial arts uniform — are attending an after-school taekwondo class in the school yard. The youngest pupils are only three years old.

Ange-Emmanuel Koffi, 13, says his parents got him involved in taekwondo.

"They saw that I didn't know how to defend myself and I was withdrawn⁶ because of that," Koffi said.

Part-time coach Ibrahima Soumahoro says the image of the sport has evolved⁷ over time.

"We used to think of martial arts practitioners⁸ as thugs who assault⁹ people," Soumahoro said. "Now, taekwondo is an Olympic sport. It's taught in schools and universities. It is practiced by an elite¹⁰."

‘Discipline, wisdom’

Thirteen-year-old Moussa Berthé says he has learned¹¹ much more than self-defense in five years of practice.

"They teach us to be disciplined,” he said. “This is how you recognize a person who does taekwondo. Discipline, respect, dignity and wisdom."

Berthé will be watching the national team compete in Rio.

"They are examples to follow because they are champions, and they come from Ivory Coast so it encourages us to continue taekwondo," he said.

Rio will be the first Olympic Games for national team members Mamina Koné and Cheick Cissé.

Koné is a four-time medalist at the African Taekwondo Championships, and Cissé won gold in his category at both the African Games last year and at the African championship earlier this year.

Cissé says part of their motivation for bringing home a medal is to help smooth the way for the next generation of African athletes.

Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport since 2000, but only three Africans have won medals in the event.

1 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

2 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

3 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

6 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

7 evolved   

动词evolve的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The idea evolved from a drawing I discovered in the attic. 这种想法是从我在阁楼里发现的一幅画得到启发的。
• Man was evolved from an ancestor that was probably arboreal. 人大概是从住在树上的祖先进化而来的。

8 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

9 assault   

v.猛烈地攻击，袭击；n.突然而猛烈的攻击

参考例句：

• She appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and assault.她因受到拐骗和侵犯人身的指控而出庭。
• The trainees were put through an assault course.受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

10 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

11 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。