18 -year-old Yusra Mardini left Syria for Europe on a boat packed with refugees. Then Yusra's father disappeared. The IOC hopes to narrow it down and launch a team of between five and ten athletes for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She’s been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 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 … On 27 April 2017, Mardini was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Using the unique power of sport to bring people together, the Olympism in Action Forum sees a range of global players, including Olympic Movement stakeholders, athletes, private and public sector leaders, NGO representatives, academics, artists and the media come together to talk on topical contemporary issues. Yusra grew up in Syria, and she and her sister trained daily to earn spot on the Syrian National swim team. “The secret of Yusra’s success is that she is 100 per cent authentic,” believes Marc Heinkelein, her manager. The civil war has claimed the lives of 465,000 people. “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.”. 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. After 15 minutes, the engine stopped and waves threatened to capsize it. One of Yusra’s earliest memories is of her father making them watch Michael Phelps win the 100m butterfly at the 2004 Olympics. When Yusra was just four, Ezzat threw her into the pool. Born in Syria in 1998, Yusra Mardini knows the meaning of hard. As she dives again into the water, her babyish face hidden behind goggles, Yusra uses the memory of that traumatic journey and the bloody civil war from which she escaped to power her dreams. 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. In the two and a half years since she arrived in Europe, Yusra – pronounced “eesra” – has competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “We think about our futures. She’s been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 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. They used their mobile phones to call the Greek and Turkish coast- guards, but neither would come to save them. 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. Yusra was onl She was rated as one of The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 by TIME Magazine. Yusra and Sarah queued for two days for a temporary residence permit, which allowed them to buy a ticket on a ferry to the mainland. One of the most inspiring athletes of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil was Yusra Mardini. Now a refugee in Germany, she hopes to make her dream come true. An assistant coach, Khamis Agear, is also from Syria. 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. Yusra grew up in Syria, and she and her sister trained daily to earn spot on the Syrian National swim team. 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. Everything in her life has happened pretty unexplainably, quickly and shockingly, – yet she’s always got through it. 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. “It was terrifying,” Yusra says. (Yusra and Sarah’s trip was financed with family savings.) He was tough and both Yusra and Sarah were soon training three times a week and competing. “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. Mardini grew up in Syria. “I am Syrian in my heart, in my mind, in my soul, but I am living in Germany now, so I respect that. She was natural, funny and heartfelt, and she had an incredible story. A biography in rhyme relates the story of Olympic swimmer and Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini. The refugees each had to pay $1500 for the 10-kilometre journey to the Greek island of Lesbos. 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. 17 year old Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini will swim for the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016. 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 lost count of the times she came close to death. Yusra found it difficult at first, but the club gave the sisters a community and German friends. 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. Yusra’s father, Ezzat, worked as a swimming. 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, … She became as powerful a magnet for the world’s media as the Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai had been. We are educated, but we just don’t have the chance to continue our normal lives because of war.”, As lofty as her achievements have been since she fled Syria, Yusra’s focus is now back on swimming. But Mardini’s road to the Olympics isn’t your typical story. The 18-year-old Mardini said she was at home when the news arrived. The noise of gunfire, mortars and bombs was constant. Yusra Mardini es una nadadora olímpica y miembro del primer equipo olímpico de atletas refugiados, que participó en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016. Growing up, life in Syria was good for a family like the Mardinis. Childhood friends were killed. 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. Swimmers Yusra Mardini (L) and Rami Anis both made the refugee Olympic team after fleeing the war in Syria. I was feeling sorry about how many people had been forced to do that. But the focus remains on her training, which is at least 30 hours a week. 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. 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. One man jumped into the sea, so the boat would sit higher in the water. She also still has her eye on Tokyo 2020 in 12 months’ time. C. Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer and an ambassador for refugees who originally came from Syria. https://www.marieclaire.com.au/yusra-mardini-swimming-olympics 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. Yusra Mardini Yusra Mardini surges to victory in her heat of the women’s 100m butterfly, drawing huge cheers from the crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. “You feel as if you’re not human,” Yusra recalls. But life was not as simple as swim practice for young Yusra. A total of 3771 people perished in the Mediterranean. 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. “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. In fact, she hated it. 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. “Technically, they were really good,” says Sven Spannekrebs, a coach at the centre. She became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in April 2017 as a champion of refugees all over the world. coach at a sports complex near their home in Damascus. She survived thanks to her swimming skills – and, just a year later, competed at the Rio Olympics. I bet most of you haven’t. But Mardini’s road to the Olympics isn’t your typical story. "He didn't answer his phone," she says. Yusra Mardini (Arabic: يسرى مارديني‎; born 5 March 1998) is a Syrian swimmer currently living in Hamburg, Germany. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. “It’s higher than I ever saw for someone who had left swimming.”. In 2016, Yusra’s lifelong dream came true — she competed at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, joining fellow refugees under the Olympic flag as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini has dreamt of the Olympics since she was a child. Ahead of competing at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Yusra Mardini, along with the nine other athletes that make up the Olympic Refugee Team were sent a letter by Pope Francis. She was part of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. “She is a very positive person with tremendous energy and will.” With Hollywood clamouring, Heinkelein negotiated the deal to bring Yusra’s story to the screen. “You feel like you have no country, you’re no-one.” Eventually they arrived in Austria and trains were provided to take them to Berlin. According to the International Organization for Migration, 1,004,356 refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe that year. Today, she continues to train for her next goal: competing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. pool on the outskirts of Berlin. “Yes, we are refugees, but we are normal human beings,” Yusra, 20, tells me she wants people to know. She survived thanks to her swimming skills – and, just a year. As the hours passed, with hopes of rescue fading as fast as the light, Yusra admits she did not expect to survive. She has met the Pope and Barack Obama. When the motor on their dangerously overcrowded boat stalled off the coast of Turkey, Yusra and her older sister, Sarah, swam for more than three hours in the churning seas, pushing the boat towards the Greek islands. The refugees each had to pay $1500 for the 10-kilometre journey to the Greek island of Lesbos. When Yusra was just four, Ezzat threw her into the pool. “I was thinking, ‘This is my end now,’” she says. “I want to be at the Olympics no matter what the flag is,” Yusra says. 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. Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini will compete at the Rio Olympics. Menu. In Syria, d eveloping her talent as a swimmer was a challenge. She has given speeches at the United Nations and to the World Economic Forum in Davos. "S ometimes we couldn’t train because of the war. Hundreds of refugees were waiting in the sweltering heat, corralled by gangs of armed smugglers. Olympic refugee team member Yusra Mardini prepares to swim laps Thursday at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium ahead of the Rio Olympics. The others had their country flags as their identities and Yusra had her’s too but a different one. 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. 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. 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. Almost every morning, a Syrian girl with a winning smile takes a deep breath and dives into the Olympic swimming pool on the outskirts of Berlin. Since then, Yusra has addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met world leaders such as US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis. She was rated as one of The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 by TIME Magazine. “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. Yusra Mardini is a Syrian refugee swimmer who … Yusra Mardini is not a household name, but she was one of 10 athletes on Team Refugee in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The largest number, 214,266, came from Syria. Much of their first, freezing Berlin winter was spent queueing, as they and tens of thousands of other refugees fulfilled the arduous German bureaucratic formalities. Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. One of the most inspiring athletes of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil was Yusra Mardini. Anis was 25 years old at the time of the Rio Olympics. Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer and was a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. “If I am going to, Growing up, life in Syria was good for a family like the Mardinis. 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. Rio 2016 Olympics, day one: What you might have missed Now living and training in Germany, Mardini is competing in Brazil under the banner of … 17 year old Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini will swim for the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016. 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 … People started to pray. Paris 2024 . She became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in April 2017 as a champion of refugees all over the world. 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. In the summer of 2015, Mardini’s life changed forever when she and her sister Sarah decided to flee the civil war in Syria, enduring a difficult and turbulent path to safety. “But I was thinking about the children on the boat more than me. You may have seen Yusra Mardini at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 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 might be able to swim for Syria, but that is fraught with political complications. Yusra Mardini: Olympic Syrian refugee who swam for three hours in sea to push sinking boat carrying 20 to safety. Olympic refugee team member Yusra Mardini prepares to swim laps Thursday at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium ahead of the Rio Olympics. Chosen because of their ability to effect change and their wide range of sometimes differing opinions, the speakers will lead lively debates and seek to challenge received wisdom to inspire new ways of thinking. As a youth, Yusra trained as a swimmer with the support of the Syrian Olympic Committee. But I’m not going to take that as an answer, so I am putting everything I can into this until the next Olympics.". Sarah and Yusra, among the only ones who could swim, also jumped in. Yusra’s father, Ezzat, worked as a swimming coach at a sports complex near their home in Damascus. skip to content. “We offered them $500, just for water or juice, but they said they were not allowed to sell to us.”. Olympic Games; Olympic Winter Games; Youth Olympic Games; All . “One story must speak for many.”. After training one night, a mortar slammed into the ground just in front of where she and Sarah were walking. “Sometimes I had to stay under the table or sleep in a bed with my family because we could hear shooting and tanks.”. Mardini and her fellow swimmers’ efforts prevented their small dinghy from capsizing, which saved the lives of the 20 people onboard. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. (CNN) It took Yusra Mardini a long time to come around to the notion of being a refugee. In August 2012, fighting broke out in Daraya as the government tried to wrest control of the suburb. Another day, a rocket-propelled grenade smashed through the roof and landed, unexploded, in the bottom of the pool where Yusra was swimming. “I was thinking, ‘This is my end now,’” she says. At 18-years-old, Mardini competed in the 200-metre freestyle swimming event. She swam for this country in many swimming competitions. At 18-years-old, Mardini competed in the 200-metre freestyle swimming event. They waited four days, with almost no food and little water. 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. Beijing 2022 . The club let Yusra and Sarah try out. She knows, that she must get her times much lower to have a chance of competing in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. 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 … They were shocked when they saw their boat: an inflatable dinghy meant for six people. I was feeling sorry about how many people had been forced to do that. But Yusra Mardini, Olympic swimmer, knows to expect the unexpected. 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 … Official profile of Olympic athlete Yusra MARDINI (born 05 Mar 1998), including games, medals, results, photos, videos and news. Less than a year earlier, the 18-year-old had fled her home in Damascus to escape the Syrian conflict. She was Yusra, a Syrian refugee. When they caught a train to the Hungarian border, they were thrown off by the police. They set off at around 7pm, the dinghy so weighed down that water filled up the bottom with every wave. Ezzat had been abducted by paramilitaries, strung up by his feet, beaten and tortured, before they realised he was not the man they were looking for. As many as 5000 refugees sometimes queued through the night. Now Hollywood wants to tell her story. There would be 20 of them, including an Iraqi woman with a baby and two young children. Tokyo 2020 . Almost every morning, a Syrian girl with a winning smile takes a deep breath and dives into the Olympic swimming. Heinkelein also set up a lucrative contract for Yusra to be an ambassador for clothing brand Under Armour. The migration crisis of 2015 was horrifying and deadly. "For a whole day we didn't know what had happened to him." 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