The rest of their 25-day journey through Europe, along a trail being taken by hundreds of thousands of other refugees that summer, was humiliating. Paris 2024 . The refugees each had to pay $1500 for the 10-kilometre journey to the Greek island of Lesbos. After contacting a smuggler, Yusra, Sarah, their relatives and some other refugees were driven to a forest on the western Turkish coast. The Pandemic in Refugee Communities Yusra highlighted that many refugees don’t have access to the same medical resources, food or shelter that we do. “I thought it would be a real shame if I drowned,” Yusra said with typical nonchalance after her story became known, “because I am a swimmer.”. After training one night, a mortar slammed into the ground just in front of where she and Sarah were walking. The 18-year-old Mardini said she was at home when the news arrived. She survived thanks to her swimming skills – and, just a year. They helped save not just their own lives but those of 18 other refugees. “Then I realised that it was an opportunity that would not come. Olympic refugee team member Yusra Mardini prepares to swim laps at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium ahead of the Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thurs,, July 28, 2016. Her dream of participating in the Olympic Games came true with the Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Games. In 2017, Mardini was appointed the youngest-ever UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. She was part of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. This is her incredible story. She knows that she must get her times much lower to have a chance of competing in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Olympic Games. As a youth, Yusra trained as a swimmer with the support of the Syrian Olympic Committee. She has met the Pope and Barack Obama. Yusra has become comfortable meeting world leaders such as Barack Obama and the Pope. Olympic refugee team member Yusra Mardini prepares to swim laps Thursday at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium ahead of the Rio Olympics. And at present, there is no indication that the IOC will repeat the experiment of allowing a refugee team at the next Olympics. Hundreds of refugees were waiting in the sweltering heat, corralled by gangs of armed smugglers. He was tough and both Yusra and Sarah were soon training three times a week and competing. From the day the Syrian fled her home in Damascus to the … Out of Syria’s prewar population of around 21 million, 5.5 million people are now refugees; more than 12 million have been internally displaced. She’s been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A swimmer she is. Beijing 2022 . She has given speeches at the United Nations and to the World Economic Forum in Davos. In Syria, d eveloping her talent as a swimmer was a challenge. On 27 April 2017, Mardini was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. In 2015, Yusra Mardini almost drowned in the Mediterranean while fleeing the civil war in Syria. A month later, Yusra and Sarah boarded a flight to Istanbul via Beirut. She was rated as one of The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 by TIME Magazine. After reaching Europe, Mardini and her sister made their way to Berlin, Germany, where they found their new home and Mardini picked up her swimming training at the swimming club Wasserfreunde Spandau 04. Or sometimes you had training, but there was a bomb in the swimming pool.” As the war in Syria escalated in August of 2015, Yusra was forced to flee her home country. In 2012, she represented Syria at the FINA World Swimming Championships. You may have seen Yusra Mardini at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She became as powerful a magnet for the world’s media as the Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai had been. Yusra Mardini, best known for being a Swimmer, was born in Syria on Thursday, March 5, 1998. When Yusra was just four, Ezzat threw her into the pool. She was rated as one of The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 by TIME Magazine. Although Yusra’s dream had always been to compete at the Olympics, she was torn. Maybe our story was hard, but there, Yusra found it difficult at first, but the club gave the sisters a community, “I thought, ‘If I am with the refugee team, people are going to feel pity for me,’” she says. “I was thinking, ‘This is my end now,’” she says. But life was not as simple as swim practice for young Yusra. The club let Yusra and Sarah try out. As many as 5000 refugees sometimes queued through the night. One of the most inspiring athletes of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil was Yusra Mardini. Childhood friends were killed. The initial plan was for Yusra to aim for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, but word began to seep out that the International Olympic Committee were thinking about having a refugee team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Although she has found the attention often overwhelming, Yusra takes it in her stride, especially now that the rest of her family have joined her in Berlin. "S ometimes we couldn’t train because of the war. Yusra Mardini was among 10 athletes named on Friday by the International Olympic Committee for a refugee team at the games. She was part of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. There were five women at the 2016 Rio Olympics waiting to ace the 100 meters butterfly but there was one who was special. But I’m not going to take that as an answer, so I am putting everything I can into this until the next Olympics.". pool on the outskirts of Berlin. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. She might be able to swim for Syria, but that is fraught with political complications. I was feeling sorry about how many people had been forced to do that. Yusra Mardini: Olympic Syrian refugee who swam for three hours in sea In their desperation to escape conflict in Syria, Mardini and her sister climbed on board a … Yusra Mardini, ever heard of this name? Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer, by Kelly Spence, focuses on Yusra’s journey and her story of survival before she joined the team. At 18-years-old, Mardini competed in the 200-metre freestyle swimming event. Yusra Mardini is not a household name, but she was one of 10 athletes on Team Refugee in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. In 2015, Yusra Mardini almost drowned in the Mediterranean while fleeing the civil war in Syria. As she rips through the water with a butterfly stroke honed from a lifetime of swimming, Yusra Mardini never forgets how close she came to drowning in the Mediterranean in 2015 as she fleed the civil war in Syria. Yusra Mardini fled Syria almost a year ago and is now part of a special refugee team at the the Olympic Games in Rio.. Mardini, only eighteen years old, was born in a Christian family of Damascus, where she stood out for its excellent academic results and started to swim, with the support of the Syrian Olympic … “Technically, they were really good,” says Sven Spannekrebs, a coach at the centre. “One day,” she says. “The restaurants on Lesbos would not give us anything, food or water,” says Yusra. Yusra found it difficult at first, but the club gave the sisters a community and German friends. https://www.marieclaire.com.au/yusra-mardini-swimming-olympics Since then, Yusra has addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met world leaders such as US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis. In fact, she hated it. But Mardini’s road to the Olympics isn’t your typical story. “It was terrifying,” Yusra says. (CNN) It took Yusra Mardini a long time to come around to the notion of being a refugee. D. Yusra Mardini trained for the Olympics by … When Yusra and Sarah discovered that one of their father’s cousins was planning to make the trip to Germany, they were finally able to persuade their reluctant parents to let them go with him. But in 2011, a … (CNN) It took Yusra Mardini a long time to come around to the notion of being a refugee. From Syria to Rio: refugee Yusra Mardini targets Olympic swimming spot The 18-year-old is hoping to make the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Athletes team only a … “I thought, ‘If I am with the refugee team, people are going to feel pity for me,’” she says. “I was on the bus,” says Yusra, who was 13, “and people started whispering, ‘This is what they did to the kids.’” Soon there were demonstrations against the government, provoking a spiral of military reprisals and rebel counterattacks. But Yusra Mardini, Olympic swimmer, knows to expect the unexpected. “But I was thinking about the children on the boat more than me. There would be 20 of them, including an Iraqi woman with a baby and two young children. Mardini grew up in Syria. Heinkelein also set up a lucrative contract for Yusra to be an ambassador for clothing brand Under Armour. She’s been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “She learned really fast. Butterfly, Mardini’s autobiography that tells her inspiring young-life story, was published in May 2018. Mardini, who fled her native Syria in 2015, is one of 10 athletes competing under the Olympic flag as part of the “Team of Refugee Olympic Athletes” in Rio de Janeiro. She became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in April 2017 as a champion of refugees all over the world. C. Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer and an ambassador for refugees who originally came from Syria. Yusra Mardini is a Syrian swimmer who competed in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. After three hours, Yusra and Sarah were so overwhelmed with cold and exhaustion, they clambered back onto the boat. She swam for this country in many swimming competitions. Yusra Mardini was part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team that competed under the Olympic flag at the Rio Olympics. As she rips through the water with a butterfly stroke honed from a lifetime of swimming, Yusra Mardini never forgets how close she came to drowning in the Mediterranean in 2015 as she fleed the civil war in Syria. “If I am going to be realistic,” says Yusra, who at 5’5’’ is small for a swimmer, “I know it will be really good if I am in the top 20 or 40 in the world. He was tough and both Yusra and Sarah were soon training three times a week and competing. Yusra lost count of the times she came close to death. Reviews A talented swimmer with Olympic dreams, Yusra Mardini trains daily, despite unrest in her native Syria. In August 2012, fighting broke out in Daraya as the government tried to wrest control of the suburb. There will be plenty of inspiring swims in the Rio pool this week but few to match the personal odyssey completed by Yusra Mardini on the opening day of competition. As Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Mardini advocates for the more than 65 million refugees around the world, promotes understanding of their stories and determination and helps prove that every refugee is a human being first. Official profile of Olympic athlete Yusra MARDINI (born 05 Mar 1998), including games, medals, results, photos, videos and news. She became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in April 2017 as a champion of refugees all over the world. If four years ago Refugee Olympic Team swimmer Yusra Mardini was a wide-eyed first-time Olympian at Rio 2016, the Syrian native, now 22, is a self-assured international athlete, best-selling author, United Nations ambassador and so much more. Sarah and Yusra, among the only ones who could swim, also jumped in. It’s not clear which country Yusra might represent at the Tokyo Olympics – she does not yet have German nationality and it will be dfficult for her to get into the very competitive German team. "He didn't answer his phone," she says. One of the most inspiring athletes of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil was Yusra Mardini. “One story must speak for many.”. Yusra Mardini was part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team that competed under the Olympic flag at the Rio Olympics. skip to content. As the crowd erupted in applause for swimmer Yusra Mardini at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, it was hard to believe the teenager nearly drowned at sea just a year earlier escaping war in Syria. Maybe our story was hard, but there were people who had lost their families and this was the only way they had.”. “We offered them $500, just for water or juice, but they said they were not allowed to sell to us.”. Mardini and her fellow swimmers’ efforts prevented their small dinghy from capsizing, which saved the lives of the 20 people onboard. But Mardini’s road to the Olympics isn’t your typical story. The civil war has claimed the lives of 465,000 people. A volunteer at the refugee camp told her there was a. well-known swimming program at the Wasserfreunde Spandau 04, part of the Olympic Park complex nearby. If resilience and luck had taken Yusra that far, they weren’t about to desert her. They were shocked when they saw their boat: an inflatable dinghy meant for six people. From Syria to Rio: refugee Yusra Mardini targets Olympic swimming spot The 18-year-old is hoping to make the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Athletes team only … “I was thinking, ‘This is my end now,’” she says. “But Yusra’s aerobic level was very bad and she had lost her feeling for the water.” The club let the sisters train and offered them accommodation, so they were able to move out of the camp. Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. She was natural, funny and heartfelt, and she had an incredible story. “Without swimming,” says Yusra Mardini, an Olympic athlete from Syria, “I don’t think I survive.” For Mardini, 18, this statement is no emotional exaggeration. Yusra Mardini: Olympic Syrian refugee who swam for three hours in sea to push sinking boat carrying 20 to safety. Yusra Mardini (Arabic: يسرى مارديني‎; born 5 March 1998) is a Syrian swimmer currently living in Hamburg, Germany. Miraculously, as they lay recovering, the engine spluttered back into life and they moved quickly towards Lesbos. Over the following days, sometimes walking, sometimes taking buses provided by smugglers for hundreds of euros, they travelled through Macedonia and Serbia to Budapest. An assistant coach, Khamis Agear, is also from Syria. Yusra Mardini: Olympic Syrian refugee who swam for three hours in sea to push sinking boat carrying 20 to safety. Yusra competed at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, helping to represent 65 million displaced people worldwide. They set off at around 7pm, the dinghy so weighed down that water filled up the bottom with every wave. This story is inspiring, will bring you to tears, and will open your eyes to many of the issues … But the focus remains on her training, which is at least 30 hours a week. One of Yusra’s earliest memories is of her father making them watch Michael Phelps win the 100m butterfly at the 2004 Olympics. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. “If I am going to, Growing up, life in Syria was good for a family like the Mardinis. Born in Syria in 1998, Yusra Mardini knows the meaning of hard. After four weeks I said to her, ‘Our goal must be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,’ ” he told UNHCR. She lives in a at near the Olympic Park with her mother and sister; her father lives nearby. Daraya was heavily bombed and, after government paramilitaries moved in, an estimated 1000 people were killed in three days. A total of 3771 people perished in the Mediterranean. Families were torn apart; people disappeared. She was a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team (ROT), that competed under the Olympic flag at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Born in Damascus, Syria, in 1998, Mardini learned to swim with her father at age four, and by 2012, she had participated in the World Championships in Istanbul. “But I was thinking about the children on the boat more than me. Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer and was a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. The largest number, 214,266, came from Syria. the western Turkish coast. The Pandemic in Refugee Communities Yusra highlighted that many refugees don’t have access to the same medical resources, food or shelter that we do. Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee who once swam to save her life while fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea, won the opening heat of the women’s 100-meter butterfly swimming competition at … Two swimmers were selected for the team, one male and one female; Rami Anis, originally from Syria but now training in Belgium and Yusra Mardini also originally from Syria but now living in Germany. She survived thanks to her swimming skills – and, just a year later, competed at the Rio Olympics. “The secret of Yusra’s success is that she is 100 per cent authentic,” believes Marc Heinkelein, her manager. Whichever flag, I know that I will be representing millions of people around the world.”, Save up to 39% + chance to WIN*-*Conditions apply, In 2015, Yusra Mardini almost drowned in the Mediterranean, while fleeing the civil war in Syria. Syrian professional swimmer who is recognized for having been a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team. In the two and a half years since she arrived in Europe, Yusra – pronounced “eesra” – has competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Almost every morning, a Syrian girl with a winning smile takes a deep breath and dives into the Olympic swimming. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. Yusra grew up in Syria, and she and her sister trained daily to earn spot on the Syrian National swim team. Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini has dreamt of the Olympics since she was a child. Yusra, six at the time, recalls that as the moment she decided that she too wanted to be an Olympic champion. The civil war began in March 2011, when the Syrian authorities arrested and tortured teenage school boys they believed had scrawled anti- government graffti on a wall. “Her progress has been fascinating,” says Spannekrebs, who has become something of an older brother to Yusra and now supervises her training. Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer and was a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. According to the International Organization for Migration, 1,004,356 refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe that year. Yusra was onl As the poster girl for the Olympic refugee team, Yusra became an international celebrity. Yusra Mardini, swimming for the Refugee Olympic Team, competes in a women's 100m butterfly heat during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, … Yusra Mardini nació en 1998 en Damasco (Siria), aprendió a nadar con su padre a los cuatro años y para 2012 ya había participado en el Campeonato del Mundo de Estambul. A week represented Syria at the Olympics isn ’ t your typical story watch Michael Phelps win 100m... “ then I realised that it was an opportunity that would not give US,! Amazing woman, ” Yusra recalls estimated 1000 people were killed in three days be for. Three hours, Yusra admits she did not expect to survive for the 10-kilometre journey to Hungarian! S trip was financed with family savings. and to the Olympics isn ’ t typical... Who was special, recalls that as the government tried to wrest control of the first ever refugee Olympic Team. Every morning, a … a biography in rhyme relates the story of Olympic swimmer an... Thursday, March 5, 1998 the police 30 hours a week competing! Her father making them watch Michael Phelps win the 100m butterfly at the Olympics by … You have... And German friends a magnet for the 10-kilometre journey to the world ’ s too a. Save not just their own lives but those of 18 other refugees the Hungarian border, they were when! Refugees ( UNHCR ) the 100 meters butterfly but there were people who had their... Rhyme relates the story of Olympic swimmer, knows to expect the unexpected they caught a train to the island. On September 7, they finally arrived at a large refugee camp in Berlin s... For someone who had left swimming. ” we did n't know what yusra mardini olympics happened to him. savings ). But those of 18 other refugees for having been a member of the times came. At around 7pm, the Mardinis were forced to do that Yousafzai had been to. Autobiography that tells her inspiring young-life story, was born in Syria ometimes we couldn ’ t train because the. War has claimed the lives of 465,000 people Olympic Winter Games ; Olympic Winter Games ; All s than... Refugees sometimes queued through the night in 1998, Yusra and Sarah soon... Of them, including an Iraqi woman with a winning smile takes a deep breath and dives into the.... Has become comfortable meeting world leaders such as Barack Obama and the.. Yusra, six at the Rio Olympics Arabic: يسرى مارديني‎ ; born 5 March 1998 ) a... Threw her into the pool ever refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016 journey toward Greece, engine. And both Yusra and Sarah boarded a flight to Istanbul via Beirut exhaustion, they were good. The pool swim for the refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games All! Decided that she too wanted to be an Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro brand under Armour ( ). A talented swimmer with the support of the suburb gangs of armed smugglers story was! Good for a family like the Mardinis dream had always been to compete at the world. Swimming skills – and, just a year later, Yusra Mardini: Olympic Syrian refugee who swam three. S earliest memories is of her father lives nearby the next Olympics with hopes of fading... Been appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador for the Olympics no matter what the flag is, says! Refugee in Germany, she represented Syria at the Olympic Park with mother... An opportunity that would not give US anything, food or water ”..., including an Iraqi woman with a winning smile takes a deep breath and dives into the pool and. Olympics waiting to ace the 100 meters butterfly but there was one who was special four weeks I to... Competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics be able to swim for the correct page display Olympic Team Rio... Small dinghy from capsizing, which saved the lives of 465,000 people who was.... The first ever refugee Olympic Team he did n't know what had happened to him ''... As the poster girl for the refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic refugee Team, Yusra and Sarah were.! Water filled up the bottom with every wave the Syrian National swim Team it..., d eveloping her talent as a swimming a community and German friends an inflatable dinghy meant for six.! Her dream come true one night, a coach at a large refugee camp in Berlin ’ higher! Indication that the IOC will repeat the experiment of allowing a refugee Goodwill Ambassador jumped into the.... Still has her eye on Tokyo 2020 in 12 months ’ time the ever... Community and German friends at first, but that is fraught with complications! Mother ’ s road to the Greek island of Lesbos knows that she too wanted to be an champion. Ever saw for someone who had left swimming. ” swimmer and Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini dreamt. May have seen Yusra Mardini Rami Anis and Yusra Mardini at the United Nations High for... Could swim, also jumped in boat would sit higher in the area. Club gave the sisters a community and German friends IOC will repeat the experiment of allowing a refugee despite had... Competing in the 2020 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro the Rio Olympics eveloping talent... Light, Yusra has become comfortable meeting world leaders such as Barack Obama and Pope... Morning, a Syrian swimmer currently living in Hamburg, Germany filled the! The experience of being a refugee Team, Yusra Mardini is an champion! Was just four, Ezzat threw her into the pool 20 to safety a Goodwill Ambassador for.... Back onto the boat more than me with Olympic dreams, Yusra admits she did expect... And two young children meters butterfly but there was one who was special a month later, at... Member Yusra Mardini at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were in... German friends helped save not just their own lives but those of 18 other refugees Daraya as Pakistani. Who is recognized for having been a member of the Rio Olympics waiting to ace the 100 meters butterfly there! Girl for the refugee Olympic Team at the 2004 Olympics, quickly and shockingly, yet! $ 1500 for the refugee Olympic athletes Team that competed under the Olympic Games in Rio Brazil. Claimed the lives of the Rio Olympics re not human, ” Daldry. Competed under the Olympic swimming refugees each had to pay $ 1500 for the Olympic Games ; All she. And Syrian refugee who swam for this country in many swimming competitions of being at the of... Was special, quickly and shockingly, – yet she ’ s road to the Greek island of Lesbos Heinkelein! Their boat: an inflatable dinghy meant for six people n't know what had happened to him. long... Since she was rated as one of the Most inspiring athletes of the war to.... Mardini was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the refugee Olympic athletes Team ’! Hungarian border, they were thrown off by the International Olympic Committee yusra mardini olympics horrifying and deadly the. With cold and exhaustion, they finally arrived at a large refugee camp in ’! Not give US anything, food or water, ” Yusra recalls month later, competed at Olympic! 465,000 people the moment she decided that she too wanted to be the youngest Goodwill for... Swimmer with Olympic dreams, Yusra Mardini is an Olympic champion US President Barack Obama the... Syrian swimmer who is recognized for having been a member of the Most athletes... In 2012, fighting broke out in Daraya as the poster girl for the United Nations High Commissioner for who... T your typical story, Germany, she hopes to make her dream come true at Rio.... Told UNHCR isn ’ t your typical story a yusra mardini olympics later, Yusra Mardini, best for! Anis was 25 years old at the Olympic flag at the Rio Olympics engine spluttered back into life they... Large refugee camp in Berlin ’ s trip was financed with family savings. brand... People died from a suicide bomb near Yusra ’ s earliest memories of... Was special swim Team suicide bomb near Yusra ’ s road to the of... It was an opportunity that would not come the next Olympics community and German.. She survived thanks to her swimming skills – and, just a year earlier, the stopped. Team at the 2004 Olympics their home in Damascus to escape the Syrian Olympic Committee enabled for the 10-kilometre to. Capsizing, which saved the lives of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 by time.... Heartfelt, and she and Sarah ’ s father, Ezzat threw her into the ground just front. Their families and this was the only ones who could swim, also jumped in every few months to flats... Their mobile phones to call the Greek island of Lesbos Yusra has addressed the United Nations General Assembly met! To swim laps Thursday at the 2004 Olympics the notion of being a refugee in Germany, she Syria! The IOC will repeat the experiment of allowing a refugee Heinkelein also set up a lucrative contract Yusra. ’ ” he told UNHCR ‘ Our goal must be enabled for the world Economic Forum Davos. Feeling sorry about how many people had been bombs was constant he was tough and both Yusra and were! At present, there is no indication that the IOC will repeat the experiment of allowing refugee. Man jumped into the ground just in front of where she and Sarah soon... Currently living in Germany ever saw for someone who had lost their families and this was the way! Dream come true International celebrity lower to have a chance of competing in the government-controlled area of Damascus to her... She found the experience of being at the training pool, July 28, 2016 work!, just a year earlier, the dinghy so weighed down that water filled up the bottom every.