Amany Ali
Amany Ali is an Egyptian Paralympic powerlifter who won a bronze
medal in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil in 2016. Amany had an illness
called polio when she was younger and this affected the muscles in her
feet. She did not start powerlifting until she was 20, although she has always
loved the sport. She achieved her Paralympic success in Brazil aged 40,
and at a very difficult time. Her father died two days before the
competition, so she wanted to win the medal for him. She also came fourth
in the London Paralympic Games in 2012.
Tanni Grey-Thompson
Tanni Grey-Thompson is a British Paralympian wheelchair racer who
has a medical condition called spina bifida. She is unable to walk, so she
uses a wheelchair to get around. Tanni first competed in the 400 metres
and wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics in Seoul in 1988. Tanni won 16
Paralympic medals in athletics events from the 100 metres up to the 800
metres, including 11 gold medals. Since she retired from athletics in 2004,
Tanni has worked for many different organisations which help people,
especially disabled people and women, to enjoy the benefits of sports.
Drill 1
Vocabulary
Match the meaning of these words and phrases, then check in a dictionary.- achieve a. something good that you have done successfully
- achievement b. a sport where people lift weights above their heads
- compete c. something inside your body that you use to move
- Kung Fu d. take part in a race or a competition
- medal e. a chair with wheels used by someone who can‟t walk
- muscle f. be successful in doing something good
- powerlifting g. a Chinese sport which involves fighting with your hands and feet
- wheelchair h. a metal disc that you can win when you do or play a sport
Nadia : Hello everyone and welcome to the podcast. Every week we talk to a different
guest about their job. Today we have a very special guest who‘s a charity
activist from Egypt. Her name is Leila El-Baz. Leila, who has been an equal
opportunities campaigner for almost ten years now, is here to talk about trying to
change the world. Thank you very much for joining us, Leila.
Leila : Great to be here, Nadia.
Nadia : So tell us a little bit about yourself, Leila. Where are you from?
Leila : I‘m from Alexandria, which is a city in the north of Egypt, but I work in Cairo now.
Nadia : What did you study?
Leila : I studied sociology which I found really interesting.
Nadia : And how did you get into working for charities supporting equal opportunities?
It‘s not something that everyone does for living, is it?