Paris will honour the late Ugandan Olympic marathoner, Rebecca Cheptegei, by naming a sports venue after her following her tragic death in Kenya.
The 33-year-old athlete died on Thursday after suffering severe burns in an attack allegedly carried out by her ex-boyfriend, who doused her with petrol and set her on fire outside her home in north-western Kenya.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the tribute on Friday, stating that the city will dedicate a sports facility in Cheptegei’s memory.
“Her beauty, strength, and freedom dazzled us at the Olympic Games,” Hidalgo said, referring to Cheptegei’s appearance in the marathon during the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she finished 44th in a time of 2:32:14.
“Paris will not forget her. We’ll dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remain among us, carrying the message of equality championed by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Cheptegei first represented Uganda at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships at just 19, and transitioned to road races, eventually making her marathon debut in 2021.
She set a personal best of 2:22:47 the following year, making her the second-fastest Ugandan woman marathoner in history. Her success in athletics helped support her family.
The attack occurred on Sunday when her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, allegedly poured petrol on her during a domestic dispute and set her ablaze.
Cheptegei was admitted to hospital with burns covering over 80% of her body but succumbed to her injuries four days later.
Ndiema, who also sustained burns in the incident, is currently receiving treatment in the same hospital and is under police custody.
Authorities in Kenya have confirmed they are treating Cheptegei’s death as a murder.
The proposal to name a sports venue after Cheptegei will be formally discussed by Paris city officials in October.
