Yusra Mardini, the famed Syrian swimmer who competed at the Olympics for the Refugee Olympic Team announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
She has been a two-time Olympian, but her legacy goes far beyond her accomplishments in the pool.
Mardini, 25, represented Syria internationally before the country’s civil war. She and her sister, Sarah, fled their home in Damascus in 2015. When their motor on their boat died in the Aegean Sea in their attempted crossing to Europe, Yusra and Sarah got in the water and used their swimming ability to guide the boat to shore safely. This part of their journey was chronicled in the Netflix film, The Swimmers, which was nominated for a BAFTA Award.
Yusra Mardini trained in Germany and qualified for the Refugee Olympic Team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She carried the flag for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Mardini made the announcement on social media.
“Swimming has been my home away from home for the past 8 years, but the time has come to step away and move on to the next chapter,” Yusra Mardini posted on Instagram.
“Swimming has given me so much, it has given me stability in my toughest times, it has given me strength through the life lessons that I have learnt, it taught me determination and discipline, and most importantly it has given me friendships that I will cherish for life. Swimming has been a home to me when I didn’t have a home, to this day I am thankful that swimming has now given me a way to help refugees around the world. When I was nine years old, I had a dream of competing in the Olympics so I practiced nonstop and was determined that one day I would succeed. My desire was distant from reality in 2011 as my country was at war, but I never stopped dreaming because I was and still am so passionate about swimming. My sister and I decided to leave Syria in order to find safety in Germany in 2015. It may sound crazy but my first priority upon arriving in Germany was to find a swimming pool so I could resume my training. A few months later, the introduction of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team allowed me to compete as a member of the first-ever Olympic Refugee Team, fulfilling my dream and forever changing my life.”
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Mardini has been a huge ambassador for the sport and recently started a foundation to aid refugees.
She received well-wishing messages from several of the world’s top athletes, including Katie Ledecky and Lindsey Vonn.
The final part of her post was a message to her family and supporters over the years.
“A very special thank you to my father, who taught me how to swim and was my coach for 13 years, he had faith in me and was by my side at every turn. Mama, you are the most thoughtful person I know. I appreciate the countless hours you spent waiting for me to finish practice so you could make me a sandwich and dry my hair afterwards,” Yusra Mardini posted. “I want to express my gratitude to all the coaches, physiotherapists, supporters, and everyone else who has helped me along the way and has stuck by me through good and bad times.”
Though she is done swimming, her legacy will carry on through all she is doing to help refugees and those in her sport – a true hero and continuing inspiration.