VOA标准英语2008年-US Coach, Star Runner Look Ahead to Beijing Oly

By Yi Suli
Washington
14 May 2008
 

University of Arizona cross country and distance track and field coach James Li was born and raised in China. He moved to the U.S. more than two decades ago to coach collegiate running and just last year was named the Nike Coach of the year by the USA Track and Field organization. Right now he is preparing for the Beijing Olympics where he will be the manager of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic team. For producer Yi Suli, Elaine Lu has more on this nationally acclaimed¹ coach.

Coach James Li has been directing the distance runners and cross-country programs at the University of Arizona since 2002.

"Coach Li really emphasizes more quality miles over quantity of miles so we do faster miles rather than do more miles," said one of Li's athletes.

"He showed me how to do it right, how to do the training and make my body be able to handle it," said another athlete.  "I changed from 20 seconds off my mile and over 2 minutes on my 5k [5,000 kilometers]."

These trophies² are some of the highlights from Li's long career in which his runners have won two Olympic medals, 50 All-American honors, 30 conference championships, and nine national championships. 

"He listens to the athletes. He is not a coach that necessarily sets out… says this is the plan for the year," said Erin Rodrigs, who is one of Li's assistant coaches.  "He is constantly changing up things to benefit what's going to work best for the athletes," 

Among the athletes Li coaches is the reigning³ world champion in the 1,500 meter and 5,000 meter events, Bernard Lagat.

Lagat, a native of Kenya who became a U.S. citizen in 2004, has been training with Li for more than 12 years.

"We are friends, athlete and coach. And he is always the man that I respect," said Lagat.  "And he respects me. And I think our relation is very strong. We train hard. And I think coach Li is the man who knows what he does," Lagat said.

Li believes it takes more than talent to develop a winning approach to training. 

"We have a good foundation of faith and confidence in each other, then comes communication-very good communication," he said. 

Li says strategy and hard training are just as important, "We have figured out the best way to train Lagat: from the training method to the entire training system, all catered⁴ toward him perfectly⁵."

Under Li's coaching, Lagat rose from a college national champion to an Olympic medalist in the last two summer Olympic games.

After winning his events at the world championship in Japan, Lagat credited Li for his performance.

"I was feeling like in control. Because my coach told me not to burn my kick, go to gradually and gradually and feeling relaxed,” he said. “That's the most important message he gave me today. And I was feeling relaxed. Coming into the 100, coming into the 50 meters and I just wanted to win. I wanted to win so bad.  Everybody wants to win so bad and I got it today. So I was really pleased with my run."

Now Lagat is setting his sights on the Beijing Olympics where he hopes to represent the U.S. in his signature event.

"The focus right now is on one event. That's the 1,500 [meter],” he adds. “ I have the silver. I have the bronze. So I need to have the best one in Beijing. So I am looking forward to the big challenge in Beijing.

1 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

2 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

4 catered   

提供饮食及服务( cater的过去式和过去分词 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• We catered for forty but only twenty came. 我们准备了40客饭菜，但只来了20个人。
• They catered for everyone regardless of social rank. 他们为所有人服务而不计较其社会地位。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。