Yusra Mardini: The woman who survived the Syrian Civil War to compete in two Olympics

Growing up in Damascus, Syria, Yusra Mardini had big dreams, hoping to follow in her father's footsteps and become a professional swimmer.

Mardini began training to become a swimmer at age nine and continued to train consistently until she was 13. That's when her life changed.

The Syrian Civil War started in 2011, and for four years, Mardini and her family lived in fear of shelling and sniper attacks every day.

Mardini was desperate to follow her dreams, so she and her older sister Sara made the difficult decision to leave their family and try and get to Europe.

In August 2015, the pair of them embarked on a treacherous journey to Europe, with their first trip being to Turkey and getting on a small dinghy with 18 other people.

According to harpersbazaar.com, Mardini said: "We had to risk everything for our basic human rights and start a new life. It was really hard for me because I was abandoning everything."

On their cross from Turkey to Greece, the dinghy's engine faltered and became waterlogged. At that point, it was fight or flight for Mardini, who used her strong swimming to guide the boat safely to shore.

From Greece, Mardini and her sister moved to Germany, the place which became their home away from home. In Germany, she started swimming at the Wasserfreunde Spandau club.

Mardini said, "The one thing that made me feel at home again was swimming," and her determination to be in the pool was rewarded with a selection for the Olympics in 2016.

Mardini was selected into the newly formed Refugee Team in June 2016, competing in the 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly.

The Syrian swimmer won a heat at the Rio Games, beating four other swimmers in a race with a time of 1:09:21, ranking 41^st out of 45 swimmers.

According to Olympics.com, IOC president Thomas Bach said: "We help them to make their dream of sporting excellence come true, even when they have to flee war and violence."

Mardini was also part of the refugee team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, being the team's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. She swam in the 100m butterfly but failed to make it past the first couple of rounds.

According to vogue.co.uk, Mardini said: "After the Olympics, I realized that it's not just my story anymore. I realized that my responsibility is to raise awareness and bring hope to millions of refugees around the world and speak for all of those who do not have a voice."

Yusra and her sister Sara were named two of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2023.

Yusra Mardini's story is one of the most iconic Olympic stories in history, showing no matter the circumstances, anyone can achieve their dreams.