Sarah Mardini
Sara Mardini is a competitive swimmer from Damascus, Syria who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was one of the protagonists of the film The Swimmers, together with her sister Yusra Mardini.
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The Swimmers
The Swimmers is a film based on true events directed by Sally El Hosaini about the lives of Sarah Mardini and Yusra Mardini, two Syrian refugees who escape their war-torn country to find a new life in Europe.
The Swimmers Trailer
Background
During the Syrian War the family lost their home, and had to keep moving to avoid ensuing violence. By 2015, fearing for their safety, the family decided to flee Syria and build a new life in Europe. The family travelled to Turkey and boarded an inflatable boat to Greece. Disaster struck when the heavily overcrowded boat’s engine stopped working and started to sink. Many of those onboard were not able to swim. As lifeguards and professional swimmers, Sarah and her sister, Yursa, along with two other men, jumped into the ocean and pushed the boat through the Aegean Sea for the next 3.5 hours to safely in Lesbos. They saved 18 people onboard and were hailed as heroes by the international press.
Once in Greece, Sarah and Yusra travelled the long and dangerous journey and they lived in a refugee camp for 8 months and successfully claimed asylum. However, Sarah was determined that no one else would experience what she had in her crossing. This led her to return to Lesbos a year later, as a search and rescue swimmer and Arabic translator for the Emergency Response Center International and volunteered for them for 2 years while putting her studies on hold.
In 2018, Sarah was flying back to Berlin from Lesbos and was arrested by Greek police officers on charges of human smuggling, being part of a criminal organisation, espionage and money laundering. She spent 3 and a half months in jail before being released on bail in December 2018. Sarah’s arrest and incarceration was heavily criticised by the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, other watchdog groups and the press. Despite the case against Sarah still being open, Sarah has returned to Berlin and resumed her studies at Bard College. She is coming to tell her inspiring story and her desire to create change despite the difficult experiences she has faced.
TEDx Speech
Sara Mardini talks about her immigration from Syria to Germany at TEDxDurhamUniversity on 7 May 2022.
Long Distance Swimmer: Sara Mardini
Long Distance Swimmer: Sara Mardini, written and directed by Charly Wai Feldman is a documentary sequel to fictionalized dramatic film, The Swimmers. Shot over three years, the film follows Saraj’s fight for justice and journey of self-discovery.
Swimming Highlights
- She represented Syria in the 2012 FINA World Championships in the 200m individual medley, 200m freestyle, and 400m freestyle.
- She competed in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she won a 100m butterfly heat against four other swimmers in 1:09.21, placing her 41st among 45 swimmers.
- As of October 2017, she represents Under Armour sports brand.
- She carried the flag of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Tokyo at the age of 23.
- She competed in 100m butterfly, finishing in 1:06.78.
