VOA标准英语2012--Olympic Power Couple Loyal to Two Nations

 

Olympic Power Couple Loyal to Two Nations

By tradition, the Olympic decathlon champion assumes the title of the "world's greatest athlete." Those are big shoes to fill. But this month, a 24-year-old from the U.S. state of Oregon installed himself as the gold medal favorite.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials coincidentally took place on Ashton Eaton's home field in Eugene, Oregon. The fans were behind him from the beginning of the 10-event competition. Eaton started off strong by setting new decathlon records for the 100 meter dash and long jump.

Then the decathlon moved into more difficult events, the shot put and high jump. The first day finished with the 400-meter sprint¹. Day two started with the high hurdles².

And then in quick succession: discus and pole vault³, where Eaton set a new personal best. He stopped to consult his coach before the final events, the javelin⁴ throw and the 1,500-meter race.

"I look at him and I go, 'Alright, what do I have to throw and what do I have to run to get the American record?' He stopped and looked at me, 'No, Ashton, the world record.' At that moment I saw his belief in me and I was like, 'Let's go do it then,'" Eaton said.

And he did. Ashton Eaton set a new world record in the decathlon as he qualified⁵ for Team USA.

But Eaton is not the only one in his household with Olympic dreams. This week, his fiancée, Brianne Theisen, attempts to qualify for the Summer Games in the heptathlon, a seven-event endurance fest. Theisen was a three-time collegiate heptathlon champion at the University of Oregon, which is where the couple met.

However, there's a twist. Theisen won't compete for an Olympic slot on her home field in Eugene. She's in Calgary for the Canadian Olympic Trials. That’s because Theisen grew up on the plains of Saskatchewan and retains Canadian citizenship⁶. She figures Canadian fans won't hold it against her if they see her cheering in London for her American fiancée.

"A lot of them also went to NCAA schools and have friends in the U.S. So I think, you know, they understand," Theisen said.

Ashton Eaton doesn't foresee any problems with divided loyalties⁷ in the relationship either.

"Yeah, she's Canadian and yeah, I'm going to be for the U.S. team. But if everything goes well and she has the opportunity to hold up the Canadian flag, I'm going to be freaking out. The whole experience is cool. It has nothing to do with countries; it's just an event," Eaton added.

Eaton and Theisen say if there's a neutral zone in the athlete's village in London, they'll find it.

Finding time for a proper wedding is also a challenge, but not of quite Olympic proportions. They've put off getting married until July of 2013.

1 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

2 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

3 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

4 javelin   

n.标枪，投枪

参考例句：

• She achieved a throw of sixty metres in the javelin event.在掷标枪项目中，她掷了60米远。
• The coach taught us how to launch a javelin.教练教我们投标枪。

5 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》