10. Yusra Mardini’s Olympic dream
The participation of the Syrian swimmer in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was, without a doubt, one of the stories of overcoming of the last decade. Raised in Damascus, where she learned to swim, she came to participate in the 2012 World Cups when she was only 14 years old. After the war broke out in Syria, Yusra fled the country with her sister. As they marched to the island of Lesbos, their boat broke down and began to sink. Mardini, along with two other women who could swim, pushed the boat for several hours until it reached shore. She arrived in Berlin, where she continued training to qualify for the Olympic Games, something truly difficult until the IOC included her in the Olympic Refugee Athletes Team. In the Rio 2016 100 butterfly she was 41st of 45 participants in the qualifying round, but the goal of reaching an Olympiad was more than fulfilled. Now, Mardini is an ambassador for UNHCR, and is very committed to the cause of refugees.
