Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee who endured hours of swimming in the Aegean Sea after the boat she was traveling in capsized on her way to Greece, is now hoping her skills will land her a spot at the Olympics.
The 18-year-old refugee, who fled Damascus last year with her sister, found herself in the water after the boat began to fill with water, according to the Huffington Post.
The inspirational Olympic journey of refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini https://t.co/bexMWfSqPb pic.twitter.com/Qi17AhjIKf— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 18, 2016
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 18, 2016
"We were [swimming] in the water for three-and-a-half hours until we got to Greece. It was really horrible. I couldn't see anything, I wear glasses. The trip was a straight line. We could see the island, but never reach it."
From Syrian #refugee to Olympic hopeful - meet inspirational young swimmer Yusra Mardini https://t.co/vB70uxKH6l pic.twitter.com/mGteCVC16A— Refugee Action (@RefugeeAction) March 23, 2016
— Refugee Action (@RefugeeAction) March 23, 2016
At a press conference held earlier this month in Berlin, Germany, the 18- year-old said she had one thought that lingered in her mind as she swam to safety.
"I thought it would be a real shame if I drowned in the sea, because I am a swimmer."
#Syrian swimmer Yusra #Mardini on #CNN: Defeated drowning and on her way to #Olympics. She is #Syrian NOT #Saudi pic.twitter.com/EolnKc5lLU— Ahmad Al-Issa (@ahmadalissa) March 20, 2016
— Ahmad Al-Issa (@ahmadalissa) March 20, 2016
Yusra conceded that she has hated the open sea ever since she reached the safety of the shore.
After her heroism, she and her sister found safety in Germany, along with her family.
Once Mardini and her family settled into their new home, the teen turned her sights on landing a spot on an Olympic team made up of refugees, in order to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Download footage of Yusra Mardini, refugee swimmer who attempts to qualify for Rio 2016 https://t.co/SiEIQp29UV pic.twitter.com/nueb2w2fdU— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 18, 2016
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 18, 2016
"I want to show everybody that it's hard to arrive at your dreams but it's not impossible. You can do it; everyone can do it if I can do it, any athlete can do it."
Yusra Mardini will learn in about two months whether she will make the team.
Refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini gets a chance to go the Olympic Games https://t.co/UKI3YI108z pic.twitter.com/6Q4nvfbIBU— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) March 20, 2016
— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) March 20, 2016
According to Eurostat, more than 1.2 million refugees were registered in Europe in 2015, 441,800 of whom applied as first-time asylum seekers in Germany. Berlin's allocation quota is 5.05 percent of asylum applications, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. As of January of this year, 91,000 refugees were registered in Europe.
If Yusra Mardini has proven anything, it's that she is a determined young woman who does not give up when facing challenges.
"I think even if I fail I will try again. Maybe I will be sad but I will not show it, but I will try again and again until I get it."
[Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images]
