Yusra Mardini is a swimmer she hasn't always been a swimmer when she was little she was too scared to get into the pool while the other kids swam she would be standing on the side watching the kids swim on the deep end she wasn't only scared of the pool she was also excited.
Yusra and her older sister (Sarah Mardini) fled the Syrian war and set off on a terrifying journey to find safety in Europe. In summer 2015, they travelled through Lebanon to Turkey before departing for Greece in an overcrowded dinghy.Fifteen minutes into the sea crossing, the boat’s engine failed. As a professional swimmer, Yusra was determined not to let any of her fellow passengers drown. Yusra, her sister and two others jumped into the waves and swam for three and a half hours in open water to stop their dinghy capsizing, saving the lives of 20 people.A year later, Yusra’s courage, determination and strong swimming skills were recognized by the International Olympic Committee and became a member of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team, Yusra competed at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, helping to represent 65 million displaced people around the world.
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| This image is from the Summer Learning journey (SLJ) |
Kia ora Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you retold Yursa Mardini's story. How courageous and inspiring is she?! What was the most remarkable aspect of Yursa's story for you when you were reading about her? I find it awesome that she is now training for the 2020 Olympics.
Nga mihi
Erica