When it was decided that some of the passengers had to jump to lighten the payload, Yusra and her sister were two of only four on board who could swim.
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Yusra Mardini wins the 100m Butterfly heat during Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Before she stepped up to the starting platform, Mardini paused, looked down and appeared to close her eyes.
Her time of one minute, 9.21 seconds placed her 41st overall in the heats, with the top 16 swimmers going through.
Mardini hopes to hit her best in that event but even if it does not work out, she is better placed than most to keep sporting failures in perspective.
“It was quite hard to think that you are a swimmer and you might end up dying in the water”, she said later.
Only two days into the Rio Olympics and one athlete has already captured the hearts of viewers around the world and become a standout star of the games. She has met the Pope and been feted in Rio.
“It was the only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics. I’m really happy to be here and to see all of the champions and other swimmers here”. Pretty impressive in itself, but when you learn about the journey she made to compete this weekend, you’ll be blown away. And then it was back to sport again. The 43-year-old now runs a foundation in her name, partly dedicated to helping refugee athletes train. Instead she will turn her attention to the 100m freestyle heats on Tuesday.
The Refugee Olympic Team arrives for the opening ceremony.
The final team for Rio includes 10 athletes competing in three sports. It’s a positive memory for me.
A group of 10 competitors called Team Refugee Olympic Athletes will represent 60 million people in this year’s Olympic Games.
Mardini touched in 1min 09.21sec, just off her entry time of 1:08.51. She and her sister are responsible for helping to save the lives of 20 people, including their own, after jumping off their sinking boat into the Aegean Sea and pushing their boat to land.
“When I was in the water there was fear”. Swimming for three hours, they eventually got the boat to shore with everyone alive.
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The motor of their small dinghy boat (made to carry six people, but carrying 20) almost capsized.
