New Age | Paris honors murdered Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei

The city of Paris will honor murdered Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei by naming a sports venue after her, the mayor of the French capital, Anne Hidalgo, announced on Friday.

Cheptegei, who competed in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics last month, succumbed to severe burns on Thursday after her boyfriend doused her with petrol and set her on fire at her home in Kenya.

“She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was in all probability her beauty, strength and freedom that were unbearable for the person who committed this murder,” Hidalgo told reporters.

“Paris will not forget her. We will dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remain among us and help spread the message of equality, a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” added Hidalgo.

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

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

Her death, which the United Nations described as a “violent murder,” sparked widespread condemnation.

“The news of the tragic death of our daughter Rebecca Cheptegei due to domestic violence is deeply disturbing,” Janet Museveni, Uganda’s First Lady and Minister of Education, posted on X.

Kenyan Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said it was a “stark reminder” that more must be done to combat gender-based violence.

The organizers of the Olympic Games in Paris expressed their “deep outrage and sadness.”