Yusra Mardini is a Syrian swimmer currently living in Berlin, Germany. She was a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team (ROT), that competed under the Olympic flag at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in Damascus, Mardini trained in swimming with the support of the Syrian Olympic Committee. Mardini's house was destroyed in the Syrian civil war. Mardini and her sister Sarah decided to flee Syria in August 2015. They reached Lebanon, and then Turkey, where they arranged to be smuggled into Greece by boat with 18 other migrants, though the boat was meant to be used by no more than six or seven people. After the motor stopped working and the dinghy began to take on water in the Aegean Sea, Mardini, her sister, and two other people who were able to swim got into the water and pushed the boat for over 3 hours until it reached Lesbos. They then traveled through Europe to Germany, where they settled in Berlin in September 2015. Her parents also fled Syria and live in Germany.
Born: March 5, 1998 (age 18), Syria Height: 5′ 2″ Nationality: Syrian Parents: Mohamed Ezzat Mardini Country: Syria Siblings: Sarah Mardini
