Syrian Refugee Who Swam to Greece Sets Sights on Olympics - NEWS

TakePart
March 18, 2016
     BERLIN—When a tiny motorboat’s engine stalled in salty, cold waters just off the shore of Turkey, the fate of the 20 refugees packed on board fell into the hands of 18-year-old Syrian Yusra Mardini. She, her sister, and a family friend, they were the only swimmers on board of the craft that was trying to make the passage to Lesbos, Greece—a dangerous trip that has already claimed countless lives. As water started filling the boat, the three women jumped out and began swimming to push the boat to Greek shores. What should have been a 45-minute trip became a harrowing physical test.

     “We were [swimming] in the water for three-and-a-half hours until we got to Greece. It was really horrible,” Mardini told TakePart on Friday in Berlin. “I couldn’t see anything, I wear glasses. The trip was a straight line. We could see the island, but never reach it.”

     They did eventually reach shore, and it took 25 days of chaotic travel to reach a safe haven in Germany, where she is now putting those swimming skills to a different test. Mardini is training to compete on the all-refugee team for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

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