Sviatlana Mikhailauna Kudzelich ( be, Святлана Міхайлаўна Кудзеліч; born May 7, 1987 in

Pinsk Pinsk ( be, Пі́нск; russian: Пи́нск ; Polish: Pińsk; ) is a city located in the Brest Region of Belarus, in the Polesia region, at the confluence of the Pina River and the Pripyat River. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk a ...

) is a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. She competed at the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. Until September 2020, she worked in the Ministry of Emergency Situations as an inspector for training and sports in the sector of ideological work and staffing as a

senior lieutenant Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...

. During the protests in Belarus on August 18, 2020, together with other Belarusian athletes, she signed an open letter condemning violence in the country and demanding new presidential elections. She was subsequently fired from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and deprived of her salary.«Лишили зарплаты, выкинули из сборной»: белорусская чемпионка Куделич описала репрессии / mk.ru
/ref> She was excluded from the national team too. Her husband and coach Igar Zhavaranak was also repressed by Lukashenko's regime as his contract was not prolonged. However, the couple continued preparing for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

on their own.

International competitions

References

External links

* 1987 births Living people Belarusian female steeplechase runners Belarusian female long-distance runners Sportspeople from Pinsk Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Belarus World Athletics Championships athletes for Belarus Sportspeople from Brest Region {{Belarus-athletics-bio-stub