Mariposa / Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph

About Mariposa / Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph

La increíble e inspiradora historia de una joven extraordinaria.

«Yusra, no podríamos estar más orgullosos de tu valor, tu resistencia y el gran ejemplo que das.».-Barack Obama.

En verano de 2015, Yusra, de diecisiete años, y su hermana mayor Sara huyeron de su casa en Siria arrasada por las bombas. Desde Damasco emprendieron un peligroso viaje hacia la costa de Turquía, donde consiguieron subir a un pequeño bote con otras veinte personas dispuestas a todo para llegar a Europa.

Llevaban treinta minutos de travesía cuando el motor se detuvo y estuvieron a punto de volcar. En ese momento, Yusra, Sara y otras dos personas se tiraron al mar para aligerar la carga. Yusra y Sara eran las únicas que sabían nadar y durante más de tres horas fueron las que guiaron la barca hasta las costas de Lesbos, salvando la vida del resto de los pasajeros. En aquel momento nadie podía imaginar que un año después, Yusra Mardini competiría como nadadora en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

The inspiring story of how one woman saved fellow refugees from drowning―and how she went on to become an Olympic swimmer.

When young Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini realized her boat’s engine shut down as she was traveling from Syria to Greece with other refugees, there was no hesitation: she dove into the water. Surfacing, she heard desperate prayers and sobbing from the passengers in the sinking boat above her. Between the waves, her elder sister Sarah screamed at her to get back on the boat. But Mardini was determined. She was not going to let Sarah do this alone. Grabbing the rope with one hand, she began kicking up the black water, inching the boat towards the distant shore.

This bold act of bravery saved the lives of a boatload of refugees heading to Turkey from Syria. After her arrival in Greece, Mardini, focused and undeterred, worked toward a lifelong goal: to compete in the Olympics. She succeeded, and competed in 2016 on the Refugee Olympic Team in Rio de Janeiro.
Butterfly tells her story, from Syria to the Olympics to her current work with the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador. Mardini is eager to tell her story in the hopes that readers will remember that refugees are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, chased from their homes by a devastating war. In today’s political climate, this story is guaranteed to inspire and educate readers from every background.