Kristina Timanovskaya publicly criticized her coaches and was then "kidnapped" by them in connection with the Olympics in Tokyo.
She was taken to the airport against her will and forced to board a plane to her native Belarus.
Then she refused and was eventually protected by the police in Japan.
She then applied for a humanitarian visa in Poland, which she then obtained.
Now her life looks different.
- Life changed in one day, and now we start again from the start in a new country, she says, with her husband Arseni Zdanevich by her side, according to AP and continues:
- We plan to stay in Poland and continue our careers here.
"Definitely safe"
Timanovskaya has turned to the Ministry of Sports and the Polish national team with a request for a coach, group and place for training and continued investment in his career.
- We are definitely safe now because we are protected.
The Belarusian explains that at first the Japanese police did not really understand what was wrong when she reached out to them.
- They thought I was sick or something.
And I then wrote that I was forced out of the country and that I did not want that to happen.
Felt safe
She used the phone to translate and communicate with the Japanese police.
Timanovskaya finally felt safe when she was joined by them at the airport.
- The only place that would be unsafe for me is Belarus.
But the nervousness was there and the hands were shaking.
However, she hopes, after all, that she will be able to return to Belarus in the future.
- I hope that a time will come soon where Belarus can be free and where people have freedom of expression.