Warsaw (AFP)

The Belarusian sprinter, whose Cold War-style defection at the Tokyo Olympics touched people across the world, on Monday urged her fellow citizens to follow her example and hoped they can "stop being afraid".

In an interview with AFP on the first anniversary of a contested presidential election in Belarus, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said her country "is no longer safe for its own citizens".

"People are afraid to go to demonstrations because they are afraid of being beaten, they are afraid of ending up in prison," said the 24-year-old, speaking in an office of the Belarusian Foundation. pro-opposition sports solidarity (BSSF).

"I would like my country to be free, I would like every citizen to have the right to freedom of expression, for everyone to be able to live a normal life and stop being afraid," she said.

Since the disputed presidential election of August 9, 2020, Belarus has been rocked by political upheaval and a crackdown on the opposition, led by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994.

- Return when Belarus is "free" -

Ms Tsimanouskaya, who always appeared a little nervous during the interview, said that she would like to return to Belarus to her family one day, but only when her country is "safe and free".

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya during her interview with AFP in Warsaw, Poland on August 9, 2021. Wojtek RADWANSKI AFP

Asked about President Lukashenko, she replied that Belarus could "probably only be free without him".

During the Olympics, the athlete fell out with her coaches and accused them of trying to force her back to Belarus.

Fearing that she would end up in prison if she returned to her country, she had obtained help from the Japanese police, then a Polish humanitarian visa.

She arrived, via Vienna, in Warsaw on Wednesday, where she found her husband the next day, who also obtained a Polish humanitarian visa.

Ms Tsimanouskaya said what persuaded her to contact the police was a phone call from her grandmother in Belarus when she was already on her way to Tokyo airport.

"She called me and told me that I should not come back to Belarus and that I should do everything possible not to come back," she said.

The athlete said she feared that if she returned she would end up "in a mental clinic or in jail".

On Monday, President Lukashenko accused the sprinter of being "controlled" by Warsaw.

"This is absolutely not true," she told AFP, indicating that her actions were not planned in advance.

"I myself asked for help at the last minute," she said.

Two Belarusian coaches have been stripped of their credentials by the International Olympic Committee, which is conducting a broader investigation into the incident.

- "Towards the next Games" -

The athlete said she did not regret what she had done as she "did not regret showing the truth to the world".

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya on August 9, 2021 in Warsaw, Poland.

Wojtek RADWANSKI AFP

"Maybe all these years of sport have made me stronger (...) I won't let anyone disrespect me," she said.

According to her, there are other people in the same situation as in Belarus and the athlete urged them to "gather enough courage" to leave the country.

The BSSF says seven athletes are jailed in Belarus as political prisoners and 36 professional athletes and coaches have been dismissed from national teams for expressing their views.

To help the foundation and Belarusian athletes, Ms Tsimanouskaya auctioned the silver medal she won at the 2019 European Games in Minsk on eBay.

The amount of this auction for the medal amounted to Monday at 4:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT) to approximately 17,000 euros.

Asked about her own sporting future, she replied that the Polish authorities had promised her help and that she hoped to be allowed to run for another national team.

"I am looking towards the next Olympic Games. I would like to participate," she said.

© 2021 AFP