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'{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}} {{Infobox sportsperson | honorific_prefix = | name = Yusra Mardini | image = Yusra_Mardini_portrait.png | image_size = | alt = | caption = Yusra Mardini | headercolor = | birth_name = Yusra Mardini | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|3|5|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Darayya]], [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] | occupation = Swimmer | height = 5 feet 5 inches | spouse = | country = Syria | sport = [[Freestyle swimming]], [[Butterfly stroke]] | coach = | retired = | coaching = | nationals = | olympics = | commonwealth = | highestranking = | pb = | module = <!-- Sport --> | module2 = <!-- Achievements and titles --> | textcolor = }} '''Yusra Mardini''' ({{lang-ar|يسرى مارديني}}) is a Syrian [[Swimming (sport)|swimmer]] currently living in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]. She was a member of the [[Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics|Refugee Olympic Athletes Team]] (ROT), that competed under the Olympic flag at the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/03/18/olympic-dream-burns-bright-for-syrian-refugee.html|title=Swimmer Yusra Mardini competed at Rio Games for refugee squad in hopes of inspiring other Syrians. On 6 August 2016, Yusra won her heat Summer Olympics in the 100 meter butterfly. |last=Fahey|first=Ciaran|date=18 March 2016|newspaper=The Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781|access-date=19 March 2016}}</ref> On 27 April 2017, Mardini was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.<ref name="Refugees">{{Cite news|url=http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2017/4/5901978a4/yusra-mardini-appointed-unhcr-goodwill-ambassador.html|title=Yusra Mardini appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|work=UNHCR|access-date=2017-04-27|language=en}}</ref> ==Early life== Growing up in [[Darayya]], a suburb of [[Damascus]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/former-syrian-refugee-olympic-swimmer-yursa-mardini-profile|title=From Syrian Refugee to Olympic Swimmer: Yusra Mardini Goes for the Gold |work=Vogue|date=24 March 2017}}</ref> Mardini trained in swimming with the support of the [[Syrian Olympic Committee]].<ref name="guardian" /> In 2012, she represented [[Syria]] in the [[2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)]] [[2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 200 metre individual medley|200 metre individual medley]], [[2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 200 metre freestyle|200 metre freestyle]] and [[2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 400 metre freestyle|400 metre freestyle]] events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/news/the-inspirational-olympic-journey-of-refugee-swimmer-yusra-mardini/248886|title=The inspirational Olympic journey of refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini|publisher=[[Olympic Games]]|work=Olympic.org|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref>. Unfortunately her younger sister was executed by ISIS guards when she was playing with friends and stumbled upon the terrorists. The terrorists thought she was an American spy because she spoke what sound engish and what really was"Do you want to play with me,". Mardini's house was destroyed in the [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref name="stuff" /> Mardini and her sister Sarah decided to flee Syria in August 2015.<ref name="npr" /> They reached [[Lebanon]], and then [[Turkey]], where they arranged to be smuggled into [[Greece]] by [[boat]] with 18 other migrants,<ref name="npr" /> though the boat was meant to be used by no more than 6 or 7 people.<ref name="guardian" /> After the [[Engine|motor]] stopped working and the [[dinghy]] began to take on water in the [[Aegean Sea]], Yusra, her sister, Sara, and two other people who were able to swim<ref name="guardian" /> got into the water and treaded water for over 3 hours until the engine started working again, and the group reached [[Lesbos]].<ref name="npr" /> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36743077-butterfly |title=Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph}}</ref> They then traveled through [[Europe]] to [[Germany]], where they settled in [[Berlin]] in September 2015.<ref name="guardian" /> Her parents also fled Syria and live in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://swimswam.com/refugee-swimmer-yusra-mardini-gets-chance-go-olympic-games/|title=Refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini gets a chance to go the Olympic Games|work=SwimSwam|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref> == 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 [[Olympic Games|Olympics]].<ref name="guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/18/syria-rio-refugee-yusra-mardini-olympic-swimming|title=From Syria to Rio: refugee Yusra Mardini targets Olympic swimming spot|author=Philip Oltermann|work=the Guardian|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="npr">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/20/471180243/after-surviving-aegean-sea-syrian-swimmer-hopes-for-spot-in-olympics|title=After Surviving Aegean Sea, Syrian Swimmer Hopes For Spot In Olympics|date=20 March 2016|work=NPR.org|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref> She attempted to qualify in the 200 metres [[freestyle swimming]] event.<ref name="stuff">{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/78131048/Olympics-hopeful-Syrian-refugee-swims-for-three-hours-pushing-boat-of-migrants|title=Olympics hopeful Syrian refugee swims for three hours pushing boat of migrants|date=21 March 2016|work=Stuff|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref> In June 2016, Mardini was one of ten athletes selected for the [[Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics|ROT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/15928002/syrian-swimmer-yusra-mardini-10-picked-ioc-form-refugee-team-rio-games|title=IOC selects 10 to form refugee team for Rio|publisher=}}</ref> Mardini competed in the [[100 metres freestyle]] and the [[Butterfly stroke|100 metres butterfly]] at the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rio de Janeiro|Rio]].<ref>Wilder, Charly [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/sports/olympics/a-swimmer-goes-from-syria-to-rio-from-refugee-to-olympian.html She Swam to Escape Syria. Now She'll Swim in Rio.] ''New York Times''. August 3, 2016</ref> At the Rio Olympics, Mardini won a 100m butterfly heat against four other swimmers, with a time of 1:09.21 and a rank of 41st among 45 entrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/swimming-womens-100m-butterfly-heat-1|title=Rio 2016|publisher=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807212907/https://www.rio2016.com/en/swimming-womens-100m-butterfly-heat-1|archivedate=7 August 2016|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref><ref>[http://qz.com/752489/refugee-swimmer-yusra-mardini-just-won-her-heat-at-the-olympics/ Refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini just won her heat at the Olympics], quartz.com, retrieved 7 August (CET)</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/06/yusra-mardini-100m-butterfly-heat-win-refugee-olympic-team-rio-2016 Yusra Mardini delights with butterfly heat win for Refugee Olympic Team], The Guardian, retrieved 6 August 2016</ref> [[International Olympic Committee|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."<ref>{{cite web|title=Team of Refugee Olympic Athletes (ROA) created by the IOC|url=http://www.olympic.org/news/team-of-refugee-olympic-athletes-roa-created-by-the-ioc/248766|publisher=IOC|accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref> == Popular culture == Yusra Mardini's story is told in the short story collection [[Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls]], by [[Elena Favilli]] and [[Francesca Cavallo]]. The story is illustrated by JM Cooper,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jmcooper.net/goodnight-stories-for-rebel-girls/|title=Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls - JM Cooper|last=|first=|date=27 March 2018|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref> and when the story was released as a podcast episode it was narrated by American journalist and long-distance swimmer [[Diana Nyad]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podtail.com/podcast/good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls/yusra-mardini-read-by-diana-nyad/|title=Yusra Mardini read by Diana Nyad – Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls – Podcast|last=Girls|first=Good Night Stories for Rebel|website=Podtail|language=en|access-date=2018-03-27}}</ref> On 3rd of May 2018, the autobiography "Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph" by Yusra Mardini was published.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36743077-butterfly |title=Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph}}</ref> It is planned that director Stephen Daldry will make a movie about her life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/schwimmen-yusra-mardini-wurde-vom-fluechtling-zum-weltstar-a-1203611.html|title=Schwimmerin Yusra Mardini: Vom Flüchtling zum Weltstar|work=Spiegel|language=German|date=19 April 2018}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Facebook|swim.yusra}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mardini, Yusra}} [[Category:1998 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Syrian female swimmers]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Damascus]] [[Category:Refugees of the Syrian Civil War]] [[Category:Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Syrian expatriates in Germany]]'