Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer, humanitarian, and the subject of the critically-acclaimed Netflix film, The Swimmers. Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Yusra and her sister, Sara, made the difficult decision to flee the civil war in 2015 and undertake a perilous journey to safety. After reaching Europe, Yusra and her sister made their way to Berlin, Germany, where they found their new home and Yusra resumed her swimming training. Her dream of participating in the Olympic Games came true with the Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Games, and again at the Tokyo 2020 Games. In 2017, Yusra was appointed the youngest-ever UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

She also established her own charitable foundation, The Yusra Mardini Foundation, which supports young people and refugees through sports programs and humanitarian assistance. In 2023, in recognition of their advocacy for refugees, she and her sister were named by Time Magazine to their list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”