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Olympics 2016: Teenager Yusra Mardini first to represent refugee team

A year since fleeing Syria and being forced to swim for her life, Yusra Mardini has become the first athlete to represent the refugee team at Rio 2016.

Syrian Mardini, 18, won her women’s 100m butterfly heat, but her time was not quick enough for her to progress.

Mardini’s remarkable 25-day journey took her to Beirut in Lebanon, across the Aegean Sea and finally to Germany.

“The only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics,” said Mardini. “Everything was amazing.”

In August 2015, Mardini was on a heavily overloaded dinghy bound for the Greek island of Lesbos when the boat lost power. She, her sister Sarah and another woman jumped over the side and spent three and a half hours towing the boat to safety through dangerous seas.

• Read more on how Mardini towed a stricken boat with 20 passengers to safety