Olympian Refugee Yusra Mardini

Despite living in a war zone, Yusra Mardini has stuck to her passion for swimming. It’s a passion that she has cultivated since she was three, with one of her parents being a swim instructor. After representing Syria in the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships, she has been struggling to keep up with her training due to the civil war. She has even trained in pools that were bombed, leaving the roofs partially exposed.

To continue her swimming dreams, Yusra fled from Syria to Greece, via Turkey. However, in a tragic turn of events, her boat started sinking in the middle of the Aegean sea with 20 people on board. She hopped into treacherous waters, with three other swimmers, to push the boat to land. Those four hours proved to be a true fight for survival.

2 years after that fateful day, Yusra won her 100m butterfly heat at the Rio 2016 Olympics and is now. an official UN ambassador. Her story is definitely one for the books(literally, too) and has inspired many to keep chasing their swimming dreams.

Singapore’s Olympic Gold Medalist — Joseph Schooling

As Yusra’s story may seem a little far-fetched, we have to mention a story that hits close to home. Yes, you know who we are talking about. It’s the one and only Joseph Schooling. Born and raised in Singapore, he was inspired by his uncle, Lloyd Valberg, the first high jumper athlete who competed for the nation at the 1948 Olympics.

He subsequently proved his mettle by setting records in local competitions and left our shores to train overseas. In spite of frequent homesickness as a young teenager, and huge financial sacrifices required from his family, amounting up to more than a million dollars, he continued to perform under pressure for the most part.

A last minute change to his goggles threw him off his stride at the London Olympics but as all champions do, he continued to fight for glory. Coming back stronger than ever, he made steady wins at SEA and Commonwealth games before bringing home the gold at the Rio Olympics. As his story shows, resilience and hard work truly pays off.

Overcoming ADHD — Michael Phelps

The one champion and idol that Schooling had to beat is Michael Phelps. As the most decorated Olympian of all time, this American has medaled and taken home the gold in multiple swimming events at the Olympics.

With such an illustrious career, you may be wondering at how he started out. It is indeed humbling to learn that swimming for him, was not just about the competitive chase but an outlet he used, to overcome his Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The pool allowed him to calm down his mind and put his extra energy to good use. While many may claim to let their personal difficulties stand in their way, Michael Phelps has well and truly proven that anyone can swim, even with mental illness. If you are struggling with anxiety in swimming, do check out our guide on some tips that may help!

Mending Fences By Being Open: Lynne Cox

While we understand the effort it takes to be strong mentally, we also have to recognize an effort in resolving political tensions. Lynne Cox set a record for swimming across the English Channel when she was just 15 and became the first woman to swim the infamous, shark-laden Cook Strait. But it wasn’t just overcoming open waters that kept her going.

In 1987, she swam across the Bering Strait from the U.S.A to Russia, opening immigration borders for the first time. This would later spark a cooperation between the nations for environmental protection of the area. So if you are thinking that swimming will never make a great impact on the world, think again.

From Zero to Hero: Eric the Eel

The greats have had the privilege of learning to swim and honing their skills from young. Not everyone is that fortunate and we hear you. Eric Moussambani’s story of learning to swim for the Olympics is a touching story that proves that anyone can learn to swim and compete.

Without a proper pool to train in Equatorial Guinea, Eric trained without a coach in a hotel pool. To make things worse, when the day of reckoning came, he realized that he had to swim for the 100 metres instead of 50 metres he had trained for. His competitors were also disqualified for starting early, leaving him in the lurch. Instead of giving up, he completed his swim with a time of 1 min 52 seconds, the slowest ever at a games.

But, his efforts didn’t go unnoticed as he moved the hearts of the audience. His will to complete made him an embodiment of the Olympic spirit and earned him the nickname of “Eric the Eel”. Today, he has aided his nation in building two 50m swimming pools and serves as head coach of the team.

Every Swimmer is Different

There you have it. 5 amazing stories about 5 amazing athletes who kept swimming despite the odds. While they defer in many things, there is one thing for sure: They love their sport. Motivation comes from many different areas as shown above but it’s always important to cultivate a passion before achievement. If you are trying to get your child into swimming lessons, here are 5 secrets to get them to love swimming. Every athlete and child is different, so keep swimming. You will never know where it will lead!

Chat with us to find out more Private Swimming Lessons for Kids!

Hi Readers! A peek into my life consists of figure skating, traveling, writing and doing many things to keep up my fitness like yoga and swimming. As a skating coach and former music & movement instructor, I hope to shed some light on how fitness and swimming in particular, can benefit and aid you. Cheers!