Former star pentathlete Aleksander Lesun has come to terms with the fact he'll likely never compete again after spurning support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lesun—who turns 34 on July 1—was born in Belarus while it was still a part of the Soviet Union. He's said he was "proud to compete under the Russian flag" during his career as a modern pentathlete, during which he was crowned a world champion on four separate occasions and won a gold medal in the individual event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He's one of only a handful of prominent athletes to publicly criticise Putin for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24. Sports figures and other high-profile are understood to fear for their own safety or that of their families if they encourage resistance against the country's figurehead.
