Since her childhood, Yusra Mardini’s dream was to become a professional swimmer and represent Syria in Olympic sports tournaments, but the intensification of the battles in Damascus in 2015 reduced her dream to just survival. Like tens of thousands of Syrians dreaming of living in peace, Yusra set off with her sister Sarah, and some of their relatives, on the terrible asylum journey to Europe, carrying with them their dreams of a safe life and resuming professional swimming, but in the middle of the trip between Turkey and Greece, the rubber boat’s engine stopped working. Work, and the boat loaded with passengers began to sink, and despite their many attempts to call for help, no one responded to them. Seventeen-year-old Yusra, her sister, and some other passengers jumped off the boat. To lose weight, they swam with it until they reached Greece, after which the sisters continued their dangerous journey overland to Germany. From swimming to save her life and the lives of her friends, to swimming with a dream of an Olympic medal, Yusra tells her extraordinary story from a refugee fleeing a war-torn country to an Olympian in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. ***** Yousra, we could not be more proud of you for your courage, your ability to resist difficulties, and for the wonderful example you set for children everywhere. Former US President Barack Obama
