“You can either let challenges break you or turn you into a superhero.”

This belief drives Saman Soltani, a former Iranian national swimming champion turned Refugee Olympic Team canoeist. Born into a culture where restrictions on women in sports are severe, Saman’s dreams were nearly crushed when she faced persecution for trained internationally without adhering to strict hijab laws. Fleeing Iran with nothing but a suitcase, she sought asylum in Austria and began a new life against overwhelming odds.

Saman's determination paid off as she became a proud member of the Refugee Olympic Team, competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. “When I passed the Olympic rings at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony, I couldn’t stop crying—it was exactly like my dreams,” she reflects.

Despite her achievements, Saman’s challenges are far from over. As a refugee athlete, she navigates barriers like funding, visa restrictions, and the psychological toll of starting over. Yet, she remains steadfast in her mission: to inspire women and refugees worldwide to never give up. “If I can do it, so can you,” she says.

In this episode, Saman shares her incredible story of resilience, her experiences competing as a refugee athlete, and her advice for overcoming life’s toughest challenges. She also reveals her vision for the future: winning an Olympic medal and empowering others to believe in their own potential. “Celebrate the small victories, because they will take you to greater heights.”

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Flame Bearers: UNEDITED, a new video and podcast series celebrates the journeys of elite women athletes from around the world at all phases of their journeys: seeking their first international qualifications, at the pinnacle of their careers, and after retirement. In this largely UNEDITED series, we'll meet more athletes than ever before, all at various stages of their paths. This series is different not only because we're broadening who we're featuring, but how we're doing so. In the spirit of bringing you MORE STORIES, the tradeoff is fewer bells + whistles (i.e. animations & fancy sound effects than we normally include in our productions). We think it's worth the trade off so we can elevate more women doing incredible work -- we'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Flame Bearers is a multi media movement, illuminating the unsung stories of elite women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events and have worked with over 250 Olympians and Paralympians from 55 countries and counting.

For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearers

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