Weight 53 kg (117 lb) Height 1.57 m Parents Mohamed Ezzat Mardini Awards Bambi - Unsung Heroes | Country Syria Nationality Syrian Siblings Sarah Mardini | |
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Sport Freestyle swimming, Butterfly stroke Similar Rami Anis, Popole Misenga, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Katie Ledecky, Gaurika Singh Profiles | ||
Olympics rio swimming refugee yusra mardini
Yusra Mardini is a Syrian swimmer currently living in Berlin, Germany. 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.
Contents
- Olympics rio swimming refugee yusra mardini
- From syria to rio 2016 the story of yusra mardini refugee olympic team
- Early life
- Swimming career
- References
From syria to rio 2016 the story of yusra mardini refugee olympic team
Early life
Growing up in Damascus, Mardini trained in swimming with the support of the Syrian Olympic Committee. In 2012, she represented Syria in the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) 200 metre individual medley, 200 metre freestyle and 400 metre freestyle events.
Mardini's house was destroyed in the Syrian Civil War. Mardini and her sister Sarah decided to flee Syria in August 2015. They reached Lebanon, and then Turkey, where they arranged to be smuggled into Greece by boat with 18 other migrants, though the boat was meant to be used by no more than six or seven people. After the motor stopped working and the dinghy began to take on water in the Aegean Sea, Mardini, her sister, and two other people who were able to swim got into the water and pushed the boat for over 3 hours until it reached Lesbos. They then traveled through Europe to Germany, where they settled in Berlin in September 2015. Her parents also fled Syria and live in Germany.
Swimming career
On arrival in Germany, Mardini continued her training with her coach Sven Spannenkrebs from Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 in Berlin, in hopes of qualifying for the Olympics. She attempted to qualify in the 200 metres freestyle swimming event. In June 2016, Mardini was one of ten athletes selected for the ROT. Mardini competed in the 100 metres freestyle and the 100 metres butterfly at the 2016 Summer Olympics. IOC president Thomas Bach said of the refugee athletes, “We help them to make their dream of sporting excellence come true, even when they have to flee war and violence.”
Mardini won a 100m butterfly heat at the Rio Olympics, against only four other swimmers, with a time of 1:09.21 and a rank of 41st among 45 entrants.
