The French capital will pay tribute to the late Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei by naming a sports facility in her honour, the Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Friday.
The Ugandan marathon runner died on Thursday, four days after she was doused in petrol and set on fire by her former boyfriend in Kenya. Cheptegei competed in the Paris Games last month, making her Olympic debut and finishing in 44th place.
“She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was in all likelihood her beauty, strength and freedom which were intolerable for the person who committed this murder,” Hidalgo said.
“Paris will not forget her. We’ll dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remains among us and helps carry the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Cheptegei, who was 33, suffered burns to more than 80% of her body in Sunday’s attack. She is the third prominent sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. The Kenyan sports minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, described Cheptegei’s death as a loss “to the entire region”.
Speaking about the attack on Friday, Uganda’s athletes commission chair, Ganzi Semu Mugula, said: “This is a critical moment not just to mourn the loss of a remarkable Olympian, but to commit ourselves to creating a society that respects and protects the dignity of every individual.”