Describe a successful sportsperson you admire: IELTS Speaking Cue Card model answers have been provided below. The answers are centred upon questions -Who he/she is, What you know about him/her, What he/she is like in real life, What achievements he/she has made, And explain why you admire him/her
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Topic: Describe a successful sportsperson you admire: IELTS Speaking Cue Card
You should say
Answer 1:
Who he/she is?
I've always looked up to Virat Kohli. The guy is just different. I still remember watching him as a cocky 19-year-old kid lifting the Under-19 World Cup in 2008—like most of us, I thought, "Okay, talented guy, let's see how long he lasts." Well, 17 years later, he's arguably the greatest batsman of this generation, and honestly, I don't think anyone saw this level of dominance coming back then.
What you know about him/her?
What gets me is how obsessed he is with his craft. People throw around words like "discipline" and "work ethic" all the time, but with Virat it's actually ridiculous. The stories that come out from the Indian team dressing room or the guys at RCB—about him doing two-a-day gym sessions, monitoring every single thing he eats, waking up at 5 a.m. even on off-days—it's borderline insane. And the best part? He never hides it. He wears that intensity on his sleeve, whether he's screaming at bowlers on the field or talking in interviews about how complacency is the enemy.
What he/she is like in real life?
But then you see the other side of him—the one who cries like a baby when India loses, who gets emotional hugging juniors after they score their first hundred, who still calls his childhood coach "sir" with proper respect. There's this video of him quietly paying for a random kid's surgery that went viral a few years ago; he never even mentioned it himself. That's the stuff that makes you realize the fame hasn't changed him as much as people think.
What achievements he/she has made?
Yeah, he's broken pretty much every batting record worth breaking—fastest to 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 12,000, 13,000 ODI runs (I mean, come on)—but for me it's never been about the numbers. It's the way he walks out to bat in a run-chase knowing the entire country is either praying or abusing him, and he just... delivers. That 82* in the T20 World Cup against Pakistan in Melbourne? I still get goosebumps.
And explain why you admire him/her?
At the end of the day, Virat reminds me that talent gets you in the door, but ridiculous, almost-stupid levels of hard work and self-belief are what keep you at the top for nearly two decades. Whenever I'm feeling lazy or making excuses, I just think: "Bro, Virat Kohli is probably in the gym right now while you're sitting here scrolling Instagram." Works every single time.
He's the reason I actually started taking fitness seriously, started pushing myself a little harder, started believing that if you want something badly enough and are willing to suffer for it, crazy things can happen.
Answer 2:
Who he/she is?
I've always been a huge admirer of P.V. Sindhu—she's easily one of my favourite Indian sportspersons. I've been following her career for years now, right from the time she first started creating waves in international badminton.
What you know about him/her?
What always stands out to me is how she started playing at such a young age and trained under Pullela Gopichand, who’s practically a legend in Indian badminton. The kind of discipline she follows is insane—she’s up at the crack of dawn, trains for hours every single day, and sticks to a routine that most of us would find impossible. Whenever I watch her interviews, she keeps coming back to the same things: hard work, dedication, and staying strong mentally, no matter what.
What he/she is like in real life?
In person, she comes across as this incredibly humble and soft-spoken girl. Even after all the fame, Olympic medals, and being one of the biggest names in Indian sport, she’s still so respectful towards her parents and Gopichand sir. Everyone who’s met her says the same thing—she’s polite, down-to-earth, and hasn’t let success go to her head. I also love that she’s involved in so many social causes and keeps encouraging kids, especially girls, to take up sports.
What achievements he/she has made?
Her list of achievements is just mind-blowing. Silver in Rio 2016, bronze in Tokyo 2020—she’s the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. Then there’s the World Championship gold in 2019 and a bunch of Super Series titles. Honestly, the trophy cabinet must be overflowing.
And explain why you admire him/her?
But more than the medals, it’s her never-give-up attitude that inspires me the most. She’s battled some of the toughest players in the world, come back from injuries, dealt with heartbreaking losses (remember those World Championship finals?), and still keeps pushing forward. That calm demeanour on court, the way she handles pressure—it’s something else. Whenever I feel like slacking off or giving up on something difficult in my own life, I just think of her journey and it motivates me to keep going. She’s a proper role model.
Answer 3:
Who he/she is?
I've been a huge Lionel Messi fan since I was a kid – honestly, I don't think there's ever been a better footballer. The way he moves with the ball, his vision, that unreal left foot... it's just magic every time I watch him.
What you know about him/her?
I still remember hearing his story growing up in Rosario, this tiny kid who was already embarrassing older players in Argentina, then getting the chance to move to Barcelona when he was only 13 because they offered to pay for his growth hormone treatment. Can you imagine being that age, flying across the world with your family, not speaking the language, knowing everything is riding on you making it? Most kids would’ve crumbled, but he just kept getting better.
What he/she is like in real life?
What I love most about him isn’t even the goals or the eight Ballons d’Or or the fact he basically carried Barcelona on his back for 15 years. It’s how quiet he is. The guy could walk into most restaurants and people might not even notice him at first. No flashy cars, no trash-talking, no drama. His teammates always say the same thing: in the dressing room he’s shy, he’ll pass the credit to everyone else, and if a young player is nervous he’ll go out of his way to make them feel comfortable.
What achievements he/she has made?
And then 2022 happened. Argentina had lost so many finals, people were killing him online, saying he’d never win anything big with the national team. That World Cup final against France – I still get goosebumps thinking about it. When he lifted that trophy in the Argentina shirt, grown men were crying in the streets back home. It felt like 30 years of hurt just disappeared in one moment.
And explain why you admire him/her?
For me, that’s why he’s different. He never shouted about being the best, never pointed at himself after goals like some players do. He just kept working, kept his head down, and let the football do the talking. Even now, playing in Miami at 38, he’s still dropping jaws every week.
Messi taught me that you don’t have to be loud or arrogant to be great. You just show up, give everything, stay humble, and treat people right. Simple as that – and somehow that makes him the most special of all.
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