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

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Aliaksandra Viktarauna Herasimenia

Herasimenia with bronze medal won at the 4×50 mixed medley relay, 2015 European Short Course Championships, Netanya
Personal information
Born	(1985-12-31) 31 December 1985 (age 38) Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, Backstroke
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Belarus Olympic Games 2012 London 50 m freestyle 2012 London 100 m freestyle 2016 Rio de Janeiro 50 m freestyle World Championships (LC) 2011 Shanghai 100 m freestyle 2007 Melbourne 50 m backstroke 2017 Budapest 50 m backstroke World Championships (SC) 2012 Istanbul 50 m freestyle European Championships (LC) 2010 Budapest 50 m backstroke 2006 Budapest 50 m backstroke 2010 Budapest 100 m freestyle 2002 Berlin 50 m freestyle 2002 Berlin 50 m backstroke European Championships (SC) 2012 Chartres 50 m freestyle 2002 Rijeka 50 m freestyle 2002 Rijeka 4x50 m freestyle 2009 Istanbul 50 m backstroke 2012 Chartres 50 m butterfly 2005 Trieste 50 m backstroke 2009 Istanbul 100 m backstroke 2012 Chartres 4×50 m freestyle 2013 Herning 50 m freestyle 2013 Herning 100 m freestyle 2015 Netanya 4×50 m mixed medley Summer Universiade 2009 Belgrade 50 m freestyle 2011 Shenzhen 50 m freestyle 2013 Kazan 50 m freestyle 2013 Kazan 100 m freestyle 2013 Kazan 50 m butterfly 2007 Bangkok 50 m freestyle 2007 Bangkok 50 m backstroke 2009 Belgrade 100 m freestyle 2011 Shenzhen 50 m backstroke 2013 Kazan 50 m backstroke 2009 Belgrade 50 m backstroke 2011 Shenzhen 100 m backstroke

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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]

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.

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]

• Swimming at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships
• 2010 European Aquatics Championships
• Swimming at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships
• Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics