Tokyo Paralympics: Swimmer Ibrahim Al Hussein's remarkable journey from war-torn Syria
It was dark as Ibrahim Al Hussein came to. He couldn't move and thick dust filled the air, blocking out all but a few small flames flickering close by. It was hard to breathe.
Those who remained formed a brotherhood. Some days they felt like they were "trapped in graves" but they kept a community together. They would die for one another, but hoped they would not have to. But there was no time to rest and no possibility of recuperating here. Al Hussein knew the lifesaving medical treatment he needed for his leg was simply not available in Syria.
"It also hurt when I wore it and it caused further infection because the metal materials tore through the skin and were touching the bone." On average, more than 8,000 refugees arrive each year. Many more attempt the journey but do not make it - something Al Hussein was aware of. The travelling group were low on funds and could no longer support Al Hussein after arriving in the Greek capital. As they continued on towards northern Europe, he stayed.
"When the doctor saw I was in a wheelchair, he said that's not a situation he could accept," Al Hussein recalls. Al Hussein's introduction to swimming came via his father, a two-time Asian champion. His dad coached him as a child, although at first Al Hussein resisted his "strict" regime, preferring judo.
"A swimming club gave me permission to train at their facility. When I looked at the address I realised it was the Athens Aquatics Centre," says Al Hussein, who, at the age of 16, had watched the 2004 Olympics unfold on a small TV in his "idyllic" Syrian home. "Local journalists began writing about how this refugee injured in the Syrian war had come to Athens and trained here," Al Hussein says.
Moved by his incredible journey, just 10 days later the International Paralympic Committee offered Al Hussein a place in the first 'Independent Paralympic Team' - he would go to Rio.On 7 September 2016, all was dark, just like four years earlier. After losing his leg in the war, paying off smugglers, fighting a life-threatening infection, living on the streets and eating grass to stay alive, now the eyes of the world were upon him.
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