The Kenyan skier who had never seen snow

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The Kenyan skier who had never seen snow

Warm-up

Do you know where Kenya is?

Vocabulary Match

famous •• test
competed •• well-known
trained •• practised
refused •• raced
cross-country •• long race
experiment •• said no

Vocabulary Answers

famouswell-known
competedraced
trainedpractised
refusedsaid no
cross-countrylong race
experimenttest

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1996, Nike started a unique ________. They wanted to see if Kenya's ________ runners could become Olympic skiers. They chose Philip Boit, who had never seen snow before. Philip moved to Finland and ________ hard for two years.

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Philip ________ in the ________ race. It was rainy and difficult, so he finished last. However, the winner, Bjorn Daehlie, ________ to leave. He waited twenty minutes at the finish line to hug Philip. They became best friends, and Philip even named his son Daehlie. It is a wonderful story of friendship.

In 1996, Nike started a unique experiment. They wanted to see if Kenya's famous runners could become Olympic skiers. They chose Philip Boit, who had never seen snow before. Philip moved to Finland and trained hard for two years.

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Philip competed in the cross-country race. It was rainy and difficult, so he finished last. However, the winner, Bjorn Daehlie, refused to leave. He waited twenty minutes at the finish line to hug Philip. They became best friends, and Philip even named his son Daehlie. It is a wonderful story of friendship.

Quiz

  1. What year did Nike start the experiment?
  2. Where did Philip Boit move to train?
  3. How long did Philip train before the Olympics?
  4. What did Bjorn Daehlie do after winning the race?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. 1996
  2. Finland
  3. Two years
  4. He waited at the finish line to hug Philip

True or False

  1. Philip Boit had seen snow before moving to Finland. T F
  2. Bjorn Daehlie won the cross-country race. T F
  3. Philip named his son after Bjorn Daehlie. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True

Conversation

A:Wow, Philip, you've come a long way from Kenya!
B:I know, Bjorn! I've never even seen snow before this.
A:And now you're an Olympic skier! That's amazing.
B:Thanks! But I still finished last.
A:Doesn't matter. You did great, and we're friends now!
B:Yes! Please come to Kenya. Let's run a marathon together!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried skiing or snowboarding?
  2. Which is more difficult, skiing or ice skating?
  3. Do you think (Shohei Otani) could play (cricket)?
  4. Would you like to live in another country? Which one?

Further Reading

https://www.olympics.com/en/news/philip-boit-kenya-s-first-winter-olympian

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