The motor of a small dinghy failed in the Aegean Sea in August 2015, leaving 20 people adrift in a vessel designed for six. Yusra Mardini, a competitive swimmer from Damascus, entered the water alongside her sister Sarah and two others to swim and haul the boat toward the island of Lesbos for over three hours.
Early Athletic Foundation
Born in 1998, Mardini grew up training in Damascus with the backing of the Syrian Olympic Committee. She represented her home nation at the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships, competing in the 200-metre individual medley, as well as the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle events. Following the destruction of her family home during the Syrian Civil War, she fled the country in 2015, traveling through Lebanon and Turkey before arriving in Germany that September.
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Upon settling in Berlin, Mardini trained under Sven Spannekrebs at Wasserfreunde Spandau 04. In June 2016, she was selected for the inaugural Refugee Olympic Team. During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she competed in the 100-metre butterfly, winning her heat with a time of 1:09.21. She later represented the Refugee Olympic Team again at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she carried the flag during the opening ceremony and recorded a time of 1:06.78 in the 100-metre butterfly.
Advocacy and Public Work
In 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appointed Mardini as its youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador. She has since participated in advocacy forums including the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Climate Change Conference. In 2023, she launched the Yusra Mardini Foundation to provide sports and educational resources to refugee communities. Her life inspired the 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers and the 2018 autobiography Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian.
Post-Athletic Transition
After ending her competitive swimming career, Mardini moved to Los Angeles in 2022 to pursue studies in Cinema and Visual arts at the University of Southern California. She has expanded her professional profile into fashion and media, representing the brand Under Armour and modeling at Milan Fashion Week. In 2024, she served as a reporter for Eurosport and Discovery during the Paris Olympic Games, and in 2025, she returned to Damascus to visit her former training facilities.
Fast facts
- Born: 1998, Damascus, Syria
- Sport: Swimming
- 2016 Olympics: Refugee Olympic Team
- 2020 Olympics: Refugee Olympic Team
- UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador: Appointed 2017
- Autobiography: Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian, 2018
- Education: University of Southern California
- Citizenship: Syria
Questions readers ask
Did Yusra Mardini compete for Syria in the Olympics?
No, she competed in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team.
What is the Yusra Mardini Foundation?
Founded in 2023, the organization supports sports and educational opportunities for refugee communities.
Achievements
- Represented Wasserfreunde Spandau 04
- Competed at swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's 100 metre freestyle, swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's 100 metre butterfly and swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – women's 10
- Discipline: competitive swimming
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