Aliaksandra Herasimenia

Last updated

Aliaksandra Herasimenia
AlexandraHerasimenia-0092.jpg
Herasimenia in 2015
Personal information
Born (1985-12-31) 31 December 1985 (age 38)
Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle, Backstroke
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 London 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2012 London 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 50 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Shanghai 100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Melbourne 50 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2017 Budapest 50 m backstroke
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 Istanbul 50 m freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Budapest 50 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 Budapest 50 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2010 Budapest 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Berlin 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Berlin 50 m backstroke
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 Chartres 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Rijeka 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Rijeka 4x50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2009 Istanbul 50 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 Chartres 50 m butterfly
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2005 Trieste 50 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Istanbul 100 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2012 Chartres 4×50 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2013 Herning 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2013 Herning 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2015 Netanya 4×50 m mixed medley
Summer Universiade
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Belgrade 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Shenzhen 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Kazan 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Kazan 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Kazan 50 m butterfly
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Bangkok 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Bangkok 50 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2009 Belgrade 100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2011 Shenzhen 50 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2013 Kazan 50 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Belgrade 50 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2011 Shenzhen 100 m backstroke

Aliaksandra Viktarauna Herasimenia [lower-alpha 1] (born 31 December 1985) is a Belarusian former swimmer. [1]

Contents

After a medal-winning career, including gold at the 2012 World Championships and silver at the 2012 London Olympics, she became a critic of the Lukashenko regime in Belarus, and now lives in exile in Poland. [2]

Swimming career

Kazan 2015 Kazan 2015 - Aleksandra Gerasimenya 100m freestyle semi.JPG
Kazan 2015

She is 2 times olympic runner-up (2012 London) in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle, Olympic bronze medalist (2016 Rio de Janeiro) in the 50-meter freestyle, World Champion (2011 Shanghai) in the 100-meter freestyle, World Champion (25m pool) (2012 Istanbul) in the 50-meter freestyle, European Champion (2010 Budapest) in the 50-meter backstroke, and 3 consecutive times Universiade Champion (2009 Belgrade, 2011 Shenzhen and 2013 Kazan) in the 50-meter freestyle.

Despite a two-year ban for a positive test for norandrosterone in 2003, [3] Herasimenia returned to win gold medals at both the European and World Championships.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, she won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle, tied with Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark in a time of 53.45.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won silver medals in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle events.

Belarusian political activity

During the 2020 Belarusian protests, Herasimenia was responsible for youth and sports [4] in National Anti-crisis Management , a shadow government created by the Belarusian Coordination Council for the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. [5]

Herasimenia is a founder of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), a group that supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views. In April 2021, she sold her 2012 world championship gold medal to raise funds for the foundation and for legal fees [6] after facing charges from the Belarus Government for criticising them on social media. [7]

She was one of the supporters of Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was threatened with enforced return to Belarus from the Tokyo Olympics after criticising team coaches. Herasimenia sought assistance for Tsimanouskaya from a number of European embassies.[ citation needed ]

In March 2022 Herasimenia stated her opposition to the Belarusian government’s involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine: “Ukraine has never been our enemy, it is our fraternal people." [8]

On 26 December 2022, Herasimenia was sentenced in absentia by the Minsk City Court to 12 years in prison. [9]

See also

Notes

  1. Belarusian: Аляксандра Віктараўна Герасіменя Russian: Алекса́ндра Ви́кторовна Герасиме́ня; Łacinka: Aliaksandra Viktaraŭna Hierasimienia / Aleksandra Gerasimenya

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Lezak</span> American swimming executive (born 1975)

Jason Edward Lezak is an American former competitive swimmer and swimming executive. As a swimmer, Lezak specialized in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. His pro career lasted for nearly fifteen years, spanning four Olympic games and eight Olympic medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranomi Kromowidjojo</span> Dutch swimmer

Ranomi Kromowidjojo is a retired Dutch swimmer of mixed Dutch-Javanese Surinamese origin who mainly specialises in sprint freestyle events. She is a triple Olympic champion, winning the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics, and in the 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle at the 2012 Olympics. Kromowidjojo holds the world record in the 50 meter freestyle short course, and as part of the Dutch team she holds the world record in the 4×50 m freestyle relay. She formerly held world records in the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m freestyle relays. She has won a total of 39 medals in FINA World Championship events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Hardy</span> American swimmer (born 1987)

Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relays at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 15–17 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Grevers</span> American swimmer

Matthew Grevers is a former American competition swimmer who competes in the backstroke and freestyle events, and is a six-time Olympic medalist. He has won a total of thirty-three medals in major international competition, fourteen gold, twelve silver, and seven bronze spanning the Olympics, World Championships, and the Universiade. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Grevers won gold medals as a member of the U.S. teams in the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relays, and a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke. Four years later, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay, and a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanette Ottesen</span> Danish swimmer (born 1987)

Jeanette Ottesen is a Danish competitive swimmer who participated at the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. In total, she has won 50 international medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katinka Hosszú</span> Hungarian swimmer (born 1989)

Katinka Hosszú is a Hungarian competitive swimmer specialized in individual medley events. She is a three-time Olympic champion and a nine-time long-course world champion. She is the owner of a Budapest-based swim school and swim club called Iron Swim Budapest, and a co-owner and captain of Team Iron, founding member of the International Swimming League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Belarus competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's fifth appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era. The Belarus Olympic Committee sent a total of 166 athletes to the Games, 90 men and 76 women, to compete in 20 sports.

Jill Ann Sterkel is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, former world record-holder, and water polo player. Sterkel won four medals in three Olympic Games spanning twelve years from 1976 through 1988. She was the women's head coach of the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team at the University of Texas at Austin from 1993 to 2006.

The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on 3–4 August at the London Aquatics Centre in London, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle</span>

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on 1–2 August 2012 at the London Aquatics Centre in London, United Kingdom.

Aksana Yauhenauna Dziamidava is a Belarusian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She won a bronze medal, as a member of the Belarusian swimming team, in the women's 4×50 m freestyle at the 2012 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Chartres, France.

Yuliya Piatrouna Khitraya is a Belarusian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She won a bronze medal, as a member of the Belarusian swimming team, in the women's 4×50 m freestyle at the 2012 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Chartres, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florent Manaudou</span> French swimmer (born 1990)

Florent Manaudou is a French competitive swimmer, an Olympic champion of the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, and the younger brother of Laure Manaudou, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in swimming. He competes for the Energy Standard Swim Club in the International Swimming League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yauhen Tsurkin</span> Belarusian swimmer

Yauhen Mikalaevich Tsurkin is a Belarusian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events.

The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 12–13 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 10–11 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evgeny Rylov</span> Russian swimmer (born 1996)

Evgeny Mikhailovich Rylov is a Russian competitive swimmer and Olympic champion specializing in backstroke events. He won three gold medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, and a bronze medal at his senior international debut at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, both were in the 200 metre backstroke event. In 2018, at the 2018 World Short Course Championships, he won gold medals in the 200 metre backstroke and 50 metre backstroke. At the 2019 World Championships, he won a gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke, silver medal in the 100 metre backstroke, and silver medal in the 50 metre backstroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya is a Belarusian freestyle skier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus at the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Belarus competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.

References

  1. "Aliaksandra Herasimenia". FINA. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  2. "Multimedalistka olimpijska skazana na 12 lat. Nie czuje się bezpiecznie w Polsce". 30 December 2022.
  3. "Gerasimenya's Ban Reduced to Two Years". Swimming World Magazine. 26 September 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "National Anti-Crisis Management". National Anti-crisis Management . 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. "Pavel Latushko Announces Establishment Of People's Anti-Crisis Administration". Belarus Feed . 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. Shefferd, Neil (5 April 2021). "BSSF head Herasimenia puts World Championship gold medal up for sale in response to criminal case opened against her". Inside the Games. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  7. "Olympic Medalist Aliaksandra Herasimenia Facing Criminal Charges in Belarus For Anti-Government Behavior". Swimming World. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  8. ""Мы ехалі па сустрэчнай паласе, каб выратавацца". Аляксандра Герасіменя расказала пра сваю эвакуацыю з Украіны" ["We were driving in the oncoming lane to escape." Aliaksandra Herasimenia told about her evacuation from Ukraine]. Наша Ніва // Nasha Niva (in Belarusian). 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  9. "Аляксандры Герасімені і Аляксандру Апейкіну завочна прысудзілі 12 гадоў калоніі" [Aliaksandra Herasimenia and Aliaksandr Apeykin were sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia]. Belsat (in Belarusian). Retrieved 26 December 2022.