Rio Olympics 2016: Yusra Mardini, the refugee from Syria who became an Olympian in Brazil

Yusra Mardini braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy to flee from war-torn Syria, a year ago. Now, the teenage swimmer has braved the 100m butterfly heat in Rio on Saturday, to launch an “amazing” Olympic experience. Mardini clocked in 1min 09.21sec, just off her entry time of 1:08.51 on Saturday. She will compete is a second individual event Wednesday when she swims the women’s 100-meter freestyle. Although she was 41st-fastest in an event led by world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom’s 56.26sec meaning she didn’t qualify for the semi-finals, Mardini said it was a thrill to line up against the world’s best. “Everything was amazing. It was the only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics. I had a good feeling in the water so I’m happy for that,” said the 18-year-old, who is representing the first ever Olympic refugee team. [caption id=“attachment_2944190” align=“alignleft” width=“825”]  Yusra Mardini, swimming for the Refugee Olympic Team. AP[/caption] Mardini was a competitive swimmer in Syria until she fled the war with her sister last August and survived a hazardous crossing on the Aegean Sea to reach Europe. The Mardini sisters had been among Syria’s brightest swimming stars and their family had been moving around to avoid the fighting so they could continue swimming. But the war intensified and eventually the decision was made to leave altogether. The sisters joined a wave of Syrian refugees who left Damascus last summer. They made their way to Lebanon and then Turkey, where they paid smugglers to take them to Greece. Their first attempt was thwarted when Turkish coastguards drove their boat back so they tried again, boarding a small inflatable dinghy at dusk. All but three of the 20 people crowded on the dinghy couldn’t swim. Within half an hour, the boat was taking on water. The passengers’ bags were thrown overboard in an effort to stay afloat as wind churned up the Aegean Sea. But it wasn’t enough. As a last resort, the Mardini sisters and another strong swimmer jumped into the water to give the boat more buoyancy. For 3 and-a-half-hours, they clung to the side of the small boat until it reached the Greek island of Lesbos. A weeks long overland trek followed through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary. They had to hide from police in cornfields to reach Hungary. Eventually, the sisters made it to Austria and then Germany, where they have since been joined by the rest of their family in Berlin. “I’ve only been back swimming for two years so we’re only now getting back to my levels of before. But I’m pleased,” added Mardini, who has settled in Germany with her family. “It’s an incredible feeling and I’m happy to see all the great swimmers here,” she said. “Competing with all these great champions is exciting.” In March, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach announced he would choose five to 10 refugee athletes to compete at the Games. Each Refugee athlete is being hosted by a National Olympic Committee. Mardini is being hosted by Germany, while Anis is being hosted by Belgium. Irrespective of her eventual result, Mardini’s is a story the reflects the spirit of sport and the Olympic Games. With inputs from agencies