Read the video transcript here
Her escape to Poland was successful: Belarusian Olympic athlete Kristina Timanowskaja landed in Warsaw on Wednesday evening.
There the 24-year-old spoke for the first time in detail at a press conference - and told how it came to her escape.
Kristina Timanovskaya, Belarusian athlete:
"I was in the Olympic Village and a coach and a team member came into my room. They said I had some kind of injury and should come home. And if I don't, there can be problems in my country. (...) They said "It's not their choice, they just have to do it. But when I got my things and went to the car, my grandmother called me and said," You can't come home, they said a lot of bad things about you on TV. That you have psychological problems and that you might go to a hospital in Belarus or to prison. ‹«
Accompanied by a Belarusian official, she drove to Tokyo airport, where she sought protection from the police.
Her departure to Poland was then organized.
The alleged reason for the forced departure: Timanovskaya had criticized her coach in an Instagram video.
Kristina Timanovskaya, Belarusian athlete:
»I always try to express my opinion openly, but in Belarus you always have to be careful what you say if you don't want to conjure up bad consequences. Yes, I think everyone in Belarus is afraid to speak openly. "
Her husband has also left the country to meet her again in Warsaw.
The two have received a humanitarian visa and want to build a new life in the neighboring country.
But the rest of her family was targeted by the Lukashenko regime as a result of their escape.
Kristina Timanovskaya, Belarusian athlete:
“Of course I am concerned about my parents, who are still in Belarus. My father is sick, he has heart problems. His condition has gotten worse in the last few days. But I spoke to my parents today and they said everything was fine. I just hope nothing bad happens to them. "
For months, the Belarusian ruler Lukashenko has been cracking down on politically dissenters, independent media and non-governmental organizations.
The Timanovskaya case will probably not end with the athlete's escape either.