Belarus sprinter feels safe, looks to future in Poland

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Belarusian Olympic sprinter says she feels safe after finding refuge in Poland to avoid punishment at home for criticizing her team officials at the Tokyo Games. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya now hopes to focus on how to keep up her world-class sprinting career. In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press in Warsaw, she recalled the harrowing moments when she sought police help at the Tokyo airport and the sense of instant relief after being put under protection. The 24-year-old runner said she has already asked Polish officials to help her resume training. Tsimanouskaya and her husband, who followed her to Poland on a humanitarian visa, were keen to look toward a future of freedom, not just for them but for all people in Belarus.