YUSRA MARDINI

"I want to represent all the refugees because I want to show everyone that, after the pain, after the storm, comes calm days"

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Yusra and her sister trained with their father at the local swimming pool in Damascus, Syria, until a bomb was dropped on it; luckily Yusra wasn’t there at the time. Soon, a bomb destroyed her house, too: another narrow escape. Suddenly, the Mardini family had nothing left and decided to flee to Germany. It was difficult: a month-long journey across several countries. However, Yusra’s awareness of the swimming opportunities in Germany, kept her attitude positive throughout. Ultimately, the rubber dinghy they boarded to the island of Lesbos had a capacity of 6-7 people, yet 20 refugees were crammed aboard. Suddenly, the motor broke down. She refused to surrender to death at sea after closely escaping it multiple times. So, she jumped into the sea with her sister and swam, dragging the boat along for three hours, until they finally reached the shore. Yusra’s first concern upon landing was finding a swimming club. In 2016, she was also part of the first refugee team ever to compete in the Olympics. Her true passion, talent and perseverance are what saved Yusra and her family, teaching us the importance of optimism.