Three men, three countries and 46 seconds. That's all it took Tuesday morning in Tokyo for the men's 400-meter hurdles final to set the Olympics ablaze.
What happened: Norway's Karsten Warholm, just one month removed from breaking a 29-year-old world record, rewrote history with one of the most jaw-dropping races ever.
Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya told AP on Tuesday that officials from her country made it clear that she "would definitely face some form of punishment" if she returned home.
State of play: Tsimanouskaya plans to seek refuge in Europe after claiming that she was taken to the Tokyo airport against her will after criticizing Belarusian coaches. Polandgrantedher a humanitarian visa on Monday.
What she's saying: "They made it clear that upon return home I would definitely face some form of punishment,” Tsimanouskaya told AP in an interview. "There were also thinly disguised hints that more would await me."
“For now I just want to safely arrive in Europe ... meet with people who have been helping me and make a decision what to do next,” Tsimanouskaya said in the interview.
Tsimanouskaya told AP that she believes she would be kicked off of the national team.
"I would very much like to continue my sporting career because I’m just 24 and I had plans for two more Olympics at least," she said. "For now, the only thing that concerns me is my safety."
Catch up quick: Tsimanouskaya, who was set to race in the 200-meter heats and the 4x400 relay, criticized "the negligence of our coaches" on Instagram, prompting her removal, according to the athlete.
When Sunisa "Suni" Lee stepped up to the mat at this year's Olympics, she thought of her father's pep talks even as he watched from thousands of miles away. Last week, she won her first Olympic gold in the individual all-around event.
The big picture: John Lee put his faith in her from the start, building a balance beam when they couldn't afford one so she could keep training. The 18-year-old made history this year when she became the first Hmong American to be named to a U.S. Olympic team.
John Ratcliffe, President Trump's final director of national intelligence, tells Axios that the U.S. should push to move the Winter Olympics, scheduled to open in Beijing in six months, on national-security grounds.
Driving the news: In a statement to Axios, Ratcliffe cited the Chinese Communist Party's "mass cover-up of COVID's origins and its initial outbreak, in addition to its crimes against humanity in Xinjiang."
Simone Biles has not had the Olympics she or anyone else expected.
The big picture: She pulled out of the team event, the individual all-around and three events finals to prioritize her mental health. Despite the setback, however, she got back on the beam on Tuesday and won bronze. She continues to be lauded as the greatest of all time, showing her courage on and off the mat.
Day 11 of the Tokyo Olympic Games saw Norway's Karsten Warholm smash the world record in the 400-meter hurdles — and so did the second-placed American Rai Benjamin on Tuesday.
Of note: In men's basketball, Team USA overcame a tough challenge from Spain to win 95-81 and advance to the semifinals — with Kevin Durant scoring 29 points for the Americans.
Raven Saunders, the American Olympian facing a possible investigation for making a protest gesture on the podium over the weekend, told the New York Times Monday that U.S. athletes had planned "for weeks" to demonstrate against oppression.
Why it matters:Protests are banned at the Tokyo Games. Saunders told the NYT a group of American Olympians had settled on the "X" symbol, which she gestured on the podium after winning silver in the shot put Sunday, to represent "unity with oppressed people."
Norway's Karsten Warholm smashed his own world record to win gold in the men's Olympic 400 meters hurdles final in 45.94 seconds in Tokyo Tuesday.
The big picture: American silver medalist Rai Benjamin also finished faster than the previous record of 46.70, set by Warholm last month — clocking in at 46.17. Brazilian bronze Alison dos Santos medalist wasn't far behind, with a time of 46.72.
Laurel Hubbard, speaking to reporters after becoming the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics, on Tuesday expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete as an athlete and convince transgender people to work through adversity.
What she's saying: "All I have ever really wanted as an athlete is just to be regarded as an athlete," Hubbard, said in response to a question from Axios. "I suppose the thing I have been so grateful here in Tokyo is just being given those opportunities to just go through life as any other athlete."
Valarie Allman won Team USA's first gold track and field Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on Monday, in the discus throw finals.
The big picture: Allman is the first American woman to medal in the discus throw since 2008. Her 68.98-meter throw beat German silver medalist Kristin Pudenz's throw by more than two meters.
