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8 Sept 2026
Teenager Wins World Medal and Holds Five Football Freestyle Records
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A boy uses his hands to play football.
b) A teenager learns football tricks from online videos.
c) A player wins a gold medal in the Netherlands.
Ask:
(1) Do you like playing with a football?
(2) Can you do any cool tricks with a ball?
VOCABULARY
bronze (/brɒnz/, noun)
Meaning: A brown metal or a medal given for third place in a race or contest.
Example: James won a bronze medal in a big contest.
clever (/ˈklev.ər/, adjective)
Meaning: Quick to learn and good at understanding ideas.
Example: The clever boy learned every move by himself.
competition (/ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/, noun)
Meaning: An event where people try to win a prize.
Example: He went to a big competition in the Netherlands.
freestyle (/ˈfriː.staɪl/, noun)
Meaning: A sport where you do fun moves without strict rules.
Example: Football freestyle is about doing tricks with a ball.
record (/ˈrek.ɔːd/, noun)
Meaning: The best score or result ever made in a sport.
Example: James holds five Guinness World Records.
trick (/trɪk/, noun)
Meaning: A fast or skilful action that looks amazing.
Example: He can do a hard trick with his feet.
Meet James. He is fourteen years old. James comes from south Wales. He loves football freestyle. In this sport, players do tricks with a football. They do not use their hands. They use their feet and head.
James is very good at this sport. He learns tricks at home every day. He watches videos on the internet to get ideas. He is self-taught. Nobody teaches him.
Recently, James went to the Netherlands. He entered a world competition. Many players were there. James finished third in his age group. He won a bronze medal. He was very happy.
James also has five world records. He holds a record for moving his foot around a ball in one minute. He works hard every day. James wants to be a world champion soon. He is a very clever boy.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) Do you think football freestyle looks fun?
(2) How often do you practise your favourite hobbies?
(3) Would you like to win a world record one day?
(4) Do you like learning new skills from online videos?
(5) What is your favourite sport to watch or play?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: bronze, competition, freestyle, records
Meet James. He is fourteen years old. James comes from south Wales. He loves football _______(1). In this sport, players do tricks with a football. They do not use their hands. They use their feet and head.
James is very good at this sport. He learns tricks at home every day. He watches videos on the internet to get ideas. He is self-taught. Nobody teaches him.
Recently, James went to the Netherlands. He entered a world _______(2). Many players were there. James finished third in his age group. He won a _______(3) medal. He was very happy.
James also has five world _______(4). He holds a record for moving his foot around a ball in one minute. He works hard every day. James wants to be a world champion soon. He is a very clever boy.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this story?
a) A boy teaches people how to play football in Wales.
b) A teenager wins a medal and sets records in football freestyle.
c) A football player travels to the Netherlands to buy a ball.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) James is fourteen years old. T/F
(2) James uses his hands to do freestyle tricks. T/F
(3) James won a bronze medal in the Netherlands. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in order from 1 to 3:
( ) James won a bronze medal at a world competition.
( ) James started learning football tricks at home from videos.
( ) James set five world records with his skills.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) freestyle
(2) bronze
(3) competition
(4) trick
(5) record
a) a fun action or move
b) a metal prize for third place
c) doing sports moves with freedom
d) the best result ever made
e) an event where people try to win
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) James _______ at home every single day.
a) practises
b) sleeps
(2) Football freestylers never use their _______.
a) feet
b) hands
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Unscramble the words: A / James / freestyle / player / is
(2) Unscramble the words: He / bronze / a / medal / won
ANSWER KEY
Answer Key
Warm Up Think Ahead Answer: b) A teenager learns football tricks from online videos.
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) freestyle
(2) competition
(3) bronze
(4) records
Section 2: Main Idea
b) A teenager wins a medal and sets records in football freestyle.
Section 3: True or False
(1) True
(2) False
(3) True
Section 4: Put Events in Order
(1) James started learning football tricks at home from videos.
(2) James set five world records with his skills.
(3) James won a bronze medal at a world competition.
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) c
(2) b
(3) e
(4) a
(5) d
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) a
(2) b
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) A-B-C-D-E (James is a freestyle player)
(2) A-B-C-D-E (He won a bronze medal)
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Answers will vary.
Thank you for your feedback!