According to BBC, Ethiopia’s long-distance runner Feyisa Lilesa, who said he wanted to seek asylum after making an anti-government gesture in Rio, has arrived in U.S.A.
Lilesa crossed the line in the Rio marathon with his arms above his head in solidarity with Oromo activists who are staging protests in Ethiopia.
The embattled athlete finished second in the race, clocking a time of 2:09:54 behind Kenya’s veteran Eliud Kipchoge.
He repeated the gesture later at a press conference, indicating that he would not be safe if he returned home.
“If not kill me, they will put me in prison. I have not decided yet, but maybe I will move to another country,” Lilesa reiterated.
On top of the silver medal he clinched in Rio, Lilesa won the Dublin Marathon in 2009 in his debut race and then won the Xiamen International Marathon in 2010. He was also the bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships marathon.
