Paris to honour murdered Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei

The city of Paris will honour Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was murdered, by naming a sports venue after her, the French capital’s mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced.

Ms Cheptegei, who competed in the women’s marathon during the Paris Olympics last month, succumbed to severe burns yesterday after being doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend at her home in Kenya.

“She dazzled us here in Paris,” Ms Hidalgo told reporters.

“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,” she said.

Ms Hidalgo said that “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,” she added.

Ms Cheptegei, 33, made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Games, where she finished 44th.

Police and doctors say she was left with 80% burns after being attacked in front of her children on Sunday by her Kenyan partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach.