STORY: Meet Lebanon's Elissa Harik

She's representing her country at the

2023 Special Olympics in Berlin this month

The 29-year-old has Dandy-Walker Syndrome,

a rare congenital defect that affects the brain

She started swimming at a young age

and has since received numerous accolades

including a gold medal at the 2019 Special

Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi

(Elissa Harik, Athlete)

"If I am to talk about how excited I am, I may not finish, because I am excited about where I was and what I became. At one year old, I used to play in the water and now, I am standing in the first place carrying a medal."

Harik is training three times

a week ahead of the games

The Special Olympics will

take place from June 17 to 25