[3] As war took hold of his home town Aleppo, Anis fled to Turkey then, by dinghy to Greece and on to Belgium.

[4] As bombings and kidnappings in Aleppo became more frequent in 2011, Anis had to leave the city.

His family sent him to stay with his older brother in Istanbul, Turkey.

In search of a chance to prove himself, Anis left Turkey aboard an inflatable dinghy and made his way across to the Greek island of Samos.

Today he trains at the Royal Ghent Swimming Club and is coached by Carine Verbauwen.