Mardini may not have been prepared for Rio, but it seemed that things were finally taking course for her Tokyo dream. Of course, that hasn’t happened.

Although the refugee team hadn’t been announced before the games were cancelled, she’s still hoping that 2021 will be the year she gets to go. “I am so thankful for being a part of this team, and I want to be a part of it again because it was so unique. We were all different nationalities, we were different colours, we were female and male. This team included everything and every story that you could ever imagine.”

If we could all take just a tiny dose of Mardini’s strength, determination and courage, we’d all be better people. So, where would she recommend starting if resilience is your aim? “Try something new in life. Go out of your bubble. We always do the things that we are comfortable doing, doing things that we’re not comfortable about gives you so much courage and it will change the way you think about everything in life. Do not run away from challenges, stand up to them and try to win them,” she says.

Airbnb, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee have collaborated for the Summer Festival, a five day event starting 24 July with a lineup of Online Olympian and Paralympian Experiences. Mardini will be leading an online experience about How To Overcome Hardship. Find the rest of the lineup here.

Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini on resilience and overcoming hardship