mardini, yusra

Explores the journey Olympic swimmer and Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini took to capture her dream.

The author shares her story of survival as a Syrian refugee stranded in the waters between Syria and Greece in a sinking boat. Highlights how she and her older sister, Sara, heroically pulled the boat to the shore as they swam through the choppy sea. Later, Yusra bravely goes after her dream of being an Olympic swimmer--a goal she attains when she swims in the 2016 Olympics.

Shares the life of Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee turned Olympic star.

A competitive swimmer in Syria, Yusra Mardini never let go of her Olympic dream, even when civil war made it too difficult to train in her country. In 2016, she was allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics as part of a special team for refugees. This was only months after making a daring crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in a sinking boat that she helped tow to shore. Dozens of lives were saved on the voyage. Still training, Mardini also acts as a spokesperson and educator for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees.