The refugee who swam 20 people to safety
In this episode, Rob meets Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini. In 2015, Yusra and her sister, Sara, saved the lives of 20 people when they jumped from a sinking dinghy into the Aegean Sea and swam for three-and-hours to guide the boat to safety.
The boat was bound for Greece, and was filled with passengers attempting to flee war-torn Syria. Fortunately, Yusra and Sara – both international swimmers – were two of those passengers.
"I never ever, expected that I could continue... such a journey in my whole life," Yusra says to Rob, relieving the terrifying ordeal. "But I think when you're in the situation, it's your only way out. Your body and brain give you this power you never knew you had to continue because this is a matter of survival."
Yusra swam 10,000m amid treacherous conditions to eventually land on Lesbos
© KIKE PHOTOGRAPHY
From arriving in Turkey and finding smugglers to facility their journey, to the four days spent waiting at the coast without food, shelter or water, to the devastating moment the boat's engine cut out just 20 minutes after leaving shore, Yusra relives every detail of the fateful crossing.
But as she chats to Rob about living in Damascus during a brutal civil – including her attempt to pursue her passion for swimming in the most impossible circumstances – you get a sense of the desperation that led her to making such a treacherous journey.
Mercifully, Yusra's decision paid off – not only helping her find the peace she was so desperately searching for, but pursue her passion in a way she may never have thought possible...