2 . Snowboarding genius Su Yiming made a name for himself by winning China’s first Olympic gold in the sport on Tuesday. By cleanly stomping back-to-back 1800 tricks, the teenager landed the biggest prize so far in his young career—gold in the men’s Big Air at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The notable achievement realized a childhood dream to reach the peak of the sport, which he began to learn at the age of 4.

Now with two shinning medals hung around his neck, the 17-year-old described his superb Olympic debut ( 首秀) as an unbelievable experience that has made all his sacrifices worthwhile. “This feels so surreal that I’ve finally accomplished what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said an emotional Su.

Over the past four years, Su has combined his talent with hard work to produce one of the swiftest rises to prominence the sport has ever seen. When the Shougang Big Air venue hosted its first international event, Su was an unknown qualifier, who didn’t even make the final runs. Just over two years later, Su is the name on everyone’s lips at the venue’s Olympic debut—drawing the whole nation’s attention to the sport he loves.

“The biggest motivation (动力) for me is my love for snowboarding,” Su said, when asked about the secret to his success. “In snowboarding, I feel like I can show my own style and creativity. Every time I ride my board, it’s always a joyful moment. I hope through my experience, I can inspire more young people to get interested in the sport.”

Su, a former child actor who featured in action movies, said the Olympic gold will encourage him to seek for more breakthroughs—even beyond his athletic career. “I enjoy snowboarding just as much as I enjoy acting,” said Su, who turns 18 on Friday. “I think I still have a lot of possibilities to explore in my future career either in snowboarding or in acting. But now I just want to enjoy the moment and celebrate it as the best possible birthday gift.”

3 . Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He had amazing athletic abilities and was well-known during his lifetime, yet that did not make Thorpe a stranger to adversity.

Thorpe was an American Indian from Oklahoma who developed his extraordinary athletic skills in his youth through hard labor. It was also in his youth that he learned to endure hardship brought upon by racial prejudice. Many would say his childhood was not easy. He grew up poor and at age 9 his twin brother passed away and a few years later he lost both of his parents.

But that did not stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dreams. Nothing seemed to stop him, not even stolen shoes. Just hours before Thorpe was going to compete in the 1912 Olympics, somebody stole his shoes. Thorpe improvised (临时拼凑) by getting shoes out of the garbage. The shoes were two different sizes. He wore an extra pair of socks on one foot to even them out.

He still went on to win two gold medals—winning each event he competed in except for one, the javelin (标枪). The javelin was the only event he didn’t win, probably because he had never competed in that event before. It is interesting to note that Thorpe had tried to throw the javelin once before in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still and was placed second.

At the Olympics，he also took part in the decathlon (十项全能运动). He finished first in two events, third in four events, and fourth in two more. Thorpe ended up finishing third in the world. He was undoubtedly a dominating force that couldn’t be stopped and just kept on going.

I think Paul Dughi said it best, “It’s hard to imagine now that pro athletes get paid millions of dollars just to wear a particular brand of shoes. For Jim Thorpe, it didn’t matter what kind he wore.”

As a player, Lang Ping brought     1     and glory to her country. As a coach, she led the China women’s volleyball team to     2     at world championships and the Olympics. As a person, Lang Ping is loved by fans at home and     3    . When the Chinese team was     4     for the 2015 World Cup, her determination was tested. The team that Lang Ping had built was falling     5    . One of the best players had been     6    , and the team captain had to leave because of heart problems. Losing two important players was a big challenge,     7     Lang Ping did not lose heart. She had faced difficulties     8    , and she knew that her young players could win if they     9     together as a team. Two weeks later, they were world     10     ! Then in 2016, Lang Ping led her volleyball team to Olympic gold in Brazil.

6 . Although Kobe Bryant is no longer with us, his unbreakable will on and off the basketball court lives on. This month, it was announced that the late superstar would be accepted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Aug 29, a great honor for basketball’s best.

“His fierce competitiveness, work ethic and drive were unmatched,” Jeanie Buss, owner of the Los Angles Lakes, told ESPN. “Those qualities helped Bryant lead us to five titles — and have now brought him to the Hall of Fame. No one deserves it more.”

Indeed, it was Bryant’s unmatchable commitment and determination to be the best that elevated (提升地位) him above his peers. He called it the “mamba mentality” after the black mamba, one of the world’s deadliest snakes — and also after the top killer from the 2003 movie Kill Bill. The mamba mentality became so popular that Bryant even detailed his process in his book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. In it, he revealed his famously detailed approach as well as his physical and mental preparation to not just succeed at the game, but to excel.

“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work, which is just the competitive spirit.” he wrote in the book. “It started when someone described me like that one day, and it’s grown into something athletes – and even non-athletes – adopt as a mindset.”

Bryant took after one of the greatest basketball players, Michael Jordan, not only with regard to Jordan’s playing style, but his competitive nature. “I liked challenging people and making them uncomfortable,” Bryant once said, “That’s what leads to self-reflection and improvement. You could say I dared people to be their best selves.”

Though many were shocked and sad when the Los Angles great died in a helicopter crash in January, all signs point to Bryant’s legacy (遗产) for generations to come. Whether you’re a basketball player or not, you can’t deny the Kobe’s power to inspire you to be your best self.

Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash five months ago. His fans were so heartbroken that they held various    1    (activity) to honor him. Someone ''updated'' the superstar's social media     2     April 1 to promote his sports fantasy novel, The Wizenard Series: Season One, to his fans around     3     globe. The novel revolves (围绕) around basketball team, the West Bottom Badgers, and an incredible coach Rolabi, who     4    (base) on Phil Jackson, the former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

''The book stems from (源于) my goal of bringing joy back to youth sports, while     5    (teach) important life lessons.'' Bryant said in an interview before his death. Apart from referring to his     6    (person) basketball experiences, he also draws from the more basic and psychological truths in sports: teamwork, training, perseverance and mental toughness.

While the announcement may not have come     7    (direct) from Bryant, many fans are hoping that the fantastic novel     8    (continue) his legacy. For many others,     9    , it was Bryant's mentality that made him legendary (传奇的).     10    (know) as the ''Black Mamba'' for his passion, persistence, and fearlessness, Bryant will live on through the achievements he impressed upon the world.

8 . Do you know any 9-year-olds who have started their own museums? When Theodore Roosevelt was only nine, and two of his cousins opened the “Roosevelt Museum of Natural History”. The museum was in Theodore’s bedroom. It had a total of 12 specimens (标本). On display were a few seashells, some dead insects and some birds’ nests. Young Roosevelt took great pride in his small museum.

Born in New York in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was not always healthy. “I was a sickly, delicate boy,” he once wrote. Roosevelt had a health condition called asthma (哮喘). “He often found it hard to breathe. Instead of playing, he observed (观察) nature and then read and wrote about it.”

Roosevelt’s interest in nature sometimes got him into trouble. Once, his mother found several dead mice in the icebox. She ordered him to throw them out. This was indeed “a loss to science”, Roosevelt said later.

Because Roosevelt was often sickly as a boy, his body was small and weak. When he was about 12, his father urged him to improve his body. Roosevelt began working out in a gym. He didn’t become strong quickly. But he did decide to face life’s challenges with a strong spirit. That determination stayed with Roosevelt his whole life. And finally his body did get strong. As an adult, he was an active, healthy person. He enjoyed adventures and loved outdoors.

In 1900, at the age of 41, Roosevelt was elected Vice President. A year later, President McKinley, was shot and killed. Roosevelt became the 26th president of the USA. At 42, he was the youngest leader the country had ever had.