大象传媒

Yusra Mardini represented Syria in the 2012 world swimming championships, and then, in 2015, after her house was destroyed in the war, Yusra and her sister Sara decided to flee. They took a long and perilous route to sanctuary in Germany - at one point diving into the Mediterranean to help save their fellow migrants aboard their un-seaworthy dinghy. Yusra then became one of a handful of athletes selected for the newly formed Refugee Olympic team, to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She spoke to Newshour's Tim Franks about her feelings after the end of the Assad dynasty.

(Photo: Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini reacts before competing in women's 100m butterfly heat during the swimming competition at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, on 23 July 2017. Credit: Martin Bureau / AFP via Getty Images)