After a long and harrowing trek, Mardini reached Germany, where she was granted asylum.
With the release ofThe Swimmerson Netflix, Mardini has been thrust further into the spotlight.
Now 25, shes currently enrolled at the University of Southern California.
Here, she reflects on her journey.
Allure: How has swimming impacted your life?
He wanted us to be swimmers, he wanted us to go to the Olympics.
I think when I was five years old, I was already swimming.
Allure: And how did it feel to realize that goal of competing in the Olympics?
But that became impossible because of the war.
So when I arrived in Germany, immediately I started training.
I met this incredible coach, [Sven Spannekrebs] who helped me a lot.
And he saw that the international committee was giving scholarships to refugee athletes and we applied for it.
It was honestly a dream come true, walking through the stadium, representing millions around the world.
It was just insane.
And I was 18 at the time, so it was really a dream completely, you know?
Allure: What did your training practices look like leading up to that moment?
The goal was to do my best performance at the Olympics and nothing else.
I made sure to sleep at least eight hours a night and go to bed early.
Allure: What does self-care mean to you?
Its understanding that I have to work hard and understanding also that I could fail and it’s fine.
you’re able to see that from my story.
Allure: Now that the Olympics are behind you, what does your self-care routine look like today?
In general, I have less time to do facials and so on, but I try.
I have great makeup artists that bring me face masks all the time before they put the makeup on.
I still work out.
I tried hot Pilates.
You sweat so much and you feel the burn.
I do have a very full day with university as well, because I’m a student, too.
But I always attempt to take care of my skin and myself.
Allure: Does your Syrian heritage impact your beauty rituals?
Mardini: Yes, in a positive way.
We Arabs have all the secrets.
Rose water is very well-known in Damascus.
They cook with it, they use it for beauty, they use it for so many things.
I feel like [skin care] is simpler there.
And women exchange most of those beauty secrets, which I love.
We take care of ourselves a lot and we are taught by our moms to embrace our beauty.
Allure: It seems like your early interest in beauty and fashion is still part of your life today?
I want it to be really cool and accessible to everyone.
I want it to be beautiful in every way.
I want a story to be behind the line.
And that’s the thing about me: Whatever I do, there’s always a story behind it.
I’ve been inspired and having so much fun with the people I’m working with right now.
I also would love to model and I just started slowly doing that.
I walked my first show in Paris in January for Casablanca and [the theme was] peace.
The whole collection was inspired by Syria.
The designer, Charaf [Tajer], gave a speech about refugees, so that was incredible.
I couldn’t possibly imagine any better show to start with as a model.
I’m not going to lie, I love dressing up.
And who knows where it’s going to lead.
But I’m sure that the future is really, really bright with fashion because I really love it.
Plus, my mom was a designer.
Allure: What are your other goals and ambitions?
Mardini: Oh, I have so many goals!
The most important thing that I do right now is advocating for refugees and being a voice for them.
I really am so proud about it.
And, as I said, I would love to model and I would love to act.
Allure: How can the rest of the world support Syrians right now?
Mardini: It is very important to understand that Syria is in a humanitarian crisis.
The war has been going on for such a long time.
Ukraine is not a trend, Syria is not a trend, Turkey is not a trend.
The refugees that are coming [from those countries] are also not a trend.
you’re able to donate clothes, you’re able to volunteer.
Bring awareness about it, talk about it, and know that we really need support and help.
