world

This Syrian Woman Swimmer Who Fled Syria's Civil War Has Finally Returned To Her Home But Found Only Rubble

“I am back to my home. My home is in that area, the suburbs of Damascus. And the buildings, all of them seem destroyed. But this is my building. Nothing stands of it. I was expecting to see pictures or find something, but I couldn't.”

Cherry Mohamed

Cherry Mohamed

— 4 min read
This Syrian Woman Swimmer Who Fled Syria's Civil War Has Finally Returned To Her Home But Found Only Rubble

Yusra Mardini, the Syrian former competitive swimmer who fled Syria during the brutal 13-year civil war, has finally returned home only to find it has been reduced to rubble.

yusra mardini swimmer return syria home rubble
Olympic refugee team swimmers Yusra Mardini (L) and Rami Anis pose for a photo. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Mardini posted on Saturday, March 15, on the 14th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, a devastating video of her crying as she returned to the location of her home to find there was nothing left of it.

“I am back to my home. My home is in that area, the suburbs of Damascus. And the buildings, all of them seem destroyed. But this is my building. Nothing stands of it. I was expecting to see pictures or find something, but I couldn't.” she said in the video.

The 27-year-old, born in Damascus, found her love for swimming early in her life and it became her sanctuary from the tension around her.

yusra mardini swimmer return syria home rubble
Yusra Mardini of the Refugee Olympic Team attends a press conference. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)

As the civil war intensified, in 2015, at the age of 17, Mardini, along with her sister Sara Mardini,  had to flee the brutality under former Syrian President Syrian president Bashir al-Assad’s regime and seek refuge in Europe.

While crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece during their journey, the engine of the boat carrying Yusra, Sara and 18 others stopped working.

The Mardini sisters and two other people jumped off the boat into the cold water, swam and pushed the boat for more than three hours, saving all 20 people onboard.

yusra mardini swimmer return syria home rubble
Engine of the rubber boat break close to the greek coast. (Photo by Lam Duc Hien / Agence VU)

After reaching Germany, Yusra resumed swimming and was selected for the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Olympics. She also competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

yusra mardini swimmer return syria home rubble
(Photo by Lam Duc Hien / Agence VU)

 In 2017, She was appointed as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for refugees worldwide and sharing her story to promote understanding and support for displaced communities. 

Her memoir, “Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph”, was published in 2018, and her life story was adapted into the Netflix film, “The Swimmers” in 2022.

yusra mardini swimmer return syria home rubble
Sarah and Yusra Mardini in swimming pool in Berlin Spandau. (Photo by Lam Duc Hien / Agence VU)

Yusra also launched the Yusra Mardini Foundation in 2023 to support refugees’ access to sports and education.

More On Syria

On The 14th Anniversary Of The Syrian Revolution, The Syrian Army Is Dropping Flowers Instead Of Bombs
On Sunday, March 15, dozens of people gathered in Umayyad Square in the capital, Damascus, to celebrate the anniversary of the 2011 Revolution for the first time.
AlmostCherry Mohamed
At Least 18 Women Have Been Killed In Syria In The Seventh Car Bombing In Just Over A Month
The new Syrian presidency condemned the attack, calling it a “terrorist” attack and vowing “this crime will not go unpunished.”
AlmostCherry Mohamed
Syria Is Being Rocked By Its Worst Violence Since It Was Freed, With Over 1,000 People Killed In Two Days
The clashes first began after gunmen loyal to Assad ambushed government security forces when they were conducting an operation in the coastal region of Latakia.
AlmostIsha Jain

Read more