Belarusian Sprinter to Auction off Silver Medal Days After Tokyo Olympics Controversy

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya found herself in an unlikely situation during the Tokyo Olympics. After completing her performance in the women’s 100m heats, two officials forced her to head home from the Olympic Village much earlier than planned.

However, she found asylum in Poland with the help of officials of the Games. With this, she avoided heading back to Belarus, which is facing a turbulent period of unrest. In addition, organisers of the Games revoked the accreditations of both officials and sent them home just days after Tsimanouskaya spoke about the issues she faced on social media.

With just a few days separating today and the events which unfolded, the 24-year-old made a gesture to help her fellow athletes.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to put up a silver medal for auction

The Belarusian arrived in Tokyo on the back of solid results in the run up to the Games. She made an instant impact in the 2019 European Championships held in Minsk by winning a silver medal in the 100m event.

With the 24-year-old now in Poland, she claims she will auction off her silver medal from that event. She made this choice in order to help other Belarusian athletes who are suffering from the unrest in the country at the moment.

The 24-year-old made strong comments on their President, Alexander Lukashenko, for oppressing athletes from the Eastern European country last week. After the events which unfolded in Tokyo, Lukashenko believed the West influenced her actions. He said,?“She wouldn’t have done this if she hadn’t been steered.”

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Tsimanouskaya finished fourth in the women’s 100m heat at the Tokyo Olympics

While she finished fourth in the heat, she recorded an excellent time of 11.47s. However, she missed out on qualifying for the semifinal by a mere 0.13s.

After the race, she revealed two officials forced her to run the 4x400m relay despite her not being fully prepared. After she refused, they forced her to head to Belarus immediately, which threw up a huge controversy.

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