Syrian refugee makes waves

Yusra Mardini, who is taking part in the Games as part of the 10-strong Refugee Olympic Team, clocked a time of 1:9.21, but it was not enough to see her through to the semi-finals. She will have another chance to compete for a medal on Wednesday, when she swims the women’s 100-metre freestyle. 

Fleeing Syria Mardini was a competitive swimmer in Syria until she fled the war with her sister last August. The two sisters had been among Syria’s most promising swimming stars, but after the war intensified their family decided to leave the country. 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. 

Saving the lives of 20 refugees in their second attempt to cross the Mediterranean, the sisters boarded a small, inflatable dinghy at dusk along with 18 other passengers. And, after a week-long trek through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary, the sisters made it to Germany, where they currently live.