Tsimanouskaya says she endured hard years after defection from Belarus

PARIS : Three years after she defected from her native Belarus at the Tokyo Games, sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya says she rebuilt her life from scratch to compete in the Paris Olympics but wished her parents could have been there to see her run.

She has not seen her parents since she refused to board a flight back home when she was removed from the Tokyo Games against her will by her team after she publicly complained about national coaches, in a saga that rocked the Olympics.

Fearing for her safety if she returned to Belarus, she defected to Poland and was eligible to represent the country from August 2023.

"I can't go to my country, to my home and because of this I feel not happy," she said on Monday, after finishing second in her 200 metres repechage heat. "These three years were very hard for me especially mentally."

The sight of athletes hugging their families has been a welcome return to normal around Paris, after the COVID-quieted Tokyo Games saw competitors play to empty stands.

But there has been no return to life as it was for Tsimanouskaya, who wore a pendant with the map of Belarus around her neck as she competed on the purple track at the Stade de France. Her parents are unable to leave Belarus.

"Sometimes you want to see your parents," she said. "It’s like someone who can ... support you. Especially in an important time before Olympics. But in my situation it’s not possible.”

Her 23.01 seconds performance in the repechage on Monday was not enough to get her to the semi-final stage and was far below what she believes she can run under better circumstances.

"I got sick a lot of times (in the last year). The doctors say this happened because of the stress," said Tsimanouskaya, who is registered for the women's