By Let’s delve deep into the life of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team athlete, Yusra Mardini.
Yusra Mardini is a former Syrian competition swimmer and refugee of the Syrian civil war who was forced to flee war-torn Syria in 2015 in search of a new life when she almost died on a treacherous boat journey to Europe. Today, Yusra is an inspiration for millions of people around the world.
Here’s what you need to know about the talented swimmer and the first IOC Refugee Olympic Team player at Rio 2016 – Yusra Mardini!
All about Yusra Mardini
Yusra Mardini was born on March 5, 1998, and is 25 years old. She is a former competition swimmer and a Refugee Olympic Athletes Team (ROT) mwmber. Mardini grew up in Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, where she learnt to swim. In 2012, she represented Syria at the FINA World Swimming Championship. She also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
In April 27, 2017, she was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Mardini’s house was destroyed in the Syrian Civil War, and she had to flee Syria. We will update this space with more information as soon as it’s available – stay connected with us!
Yusra Mardini Swimming Career
After fleeing Syria in 2015, Mardini arrived in Germany and continued her swimming practice, hoping to make it to the Olympics. She trained with head coach Sven Spannekreb from Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 in Berlin. She competed in the 200 metres freestyle swimming event – and 2016, she was among the top ten athletes who got an opportunity to be among the newly formed refugee Olympic team.
Yusra Mardini took part in the 100 metres freestyle and 100 metres butterfly at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She won a 100-metre butterfly heat against four other swimmers – with a time of 1:09.21 and a rank of 41st among 45 entrants.
Qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics
With the potential to be selected for the first-ever IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Rio 2016, announced by IOC President Thomas Bach, Y8usra Mardini got to work with coach Sven Spannekreb in Berlin. Speaking in conversation with five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky on Olympic Day, the young swimmer reflected:
“The moment I entered the stadium, that changed the way I think about the word refugee.”
“I know that I am maybe not carrying my country’s flag but I’m carrying the Olympic flag which represents the whole wide world.”
Yusra Mardini’s near-death experience
Yusra Mardini grew up in Damascus and enjoyed most of her childhood there. She was a born swimmer and shaped her skills, representing Syria in the nationals and wanting to win gold for the country. But that dream broke into tiny pieces when war broke out in Syria, and the teenage prodigy quickly fell out of love with her sport due to her frustrations with war.
In 2015, Yusra fled Syria hoping to find a new life for herself overseas, along with her sister Sara. She reached Turkey via Lebanon. The sisters got into the water with two others who could swim and reached Lesbos, Greece. From there, they travelled from Europe to Greece, where she settled and eventually met with her family.
Yusra Mardini’s net worth
As of 2023, Yusra Mardini is expected to have a net worth of 1-5 million dollars. Most of her income comes from the sport she plays – however, she may have other sources of income as well, which we aren’t aware of now.
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