Paris makes heartfelt gesture to honor late Ugandan Olympics marathon runner

Tragedy struck on Thursday when 2024 Paris Olympics marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei died at a Kenyan hospital from severe burns after being attacked by her partner. The Ugandan was just 33 years old. While Cheptegei finished 44th in her event this summer, the city of Paris is looking to honor her with a sports venue, per AP Sports.

The mayor of the city, Anne Hidalgo, proposed the idea Friday and it will be discussed in-depth this October.

“Paris will not forget her and we will dedicate a sports venue to her, so that her memory and her story will remain among us, and help us carry even stronger the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Hidalgo said.

City hall said in a statement, “Paris joins its elected representatives in expressing its support for the family of the athlete, victim of a femicide a few weeks after her participation in the Olympics Games.”

Police in the county that Cheptegei lived in said her partner, Dickson Ndeima, poured a can of gasoline on Cheptegei last Sunday after getting into an argument. He's also dealing with burns at the same hospital where Cheptegei passed away. Hidalgo paid tribute to the Ugandan's legacy during Friday's speech:

“An emotional thought for Rebecca Cheptegei,” Hidalgo said. “She dazzled us here in Paris at the Olympics. 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.”

Over 40% of women living in Kenya have dealt with sexual or physical abuse from their partners since 2022, per the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. It's heartbreaking that Cheptegei's life was cut so short because of such a senseless act. Hopefully, the city of Paris approves Hidalgo's request and Cheptegei gets honored. Her legacy deserves to live on.

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