Tokyo Olympics: Belarus sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya made decision to defect ‘in some 10 seconds’
- The athlete was being driven to the airport when her grandmother called to warn her against returning to Belarus
- Tsimanouskaya, who was offered asylum in Poland, said her family feared she would be sent to a psychiatric ward if she went home
She told Reuters that her family feared she would be sent to a psychiatric ward if she went back to Belarus, and that her grandmother had called her to tell her not to return.
“I have always been far from politics, I didn’t sign any letters or go to any protests, I didn’t say anything against the Belarusian government,” she said in the exclusive interview.
“I’m a sportsperson and I didn’t understand anything in political life. I try not to do anything other than a sport in my life and I try my best to not be distracted by politics,” Tsimanouskaya said.
“It may sound cruel because of all the terrible things that happened in Belarus last summer but I was trying to keep away from it … All I’ve wanted is to go to the Olympics and do my best,” she said. “I wanted to be in the final and compete for medals.”
