Uganda’s late Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei honoured at Paris Paralympics 2024

Cheptegei died connected Thursday, 4 days aft her spouse attacked her successful the latest onslaught connected a pistillate jock successful Uganda.

A representation of Rebecca Cheptegei appeared connected a elephantine surface aft the marathon events astatine the Paralympic Games successful Paris successful a tribute to the Ugandan runner who died aft she was doused successful petrol and acceptable connected occurrence by her fellow successful Kenya.

Spectators applauded arsenic the look of Cheptegei, who took portion successful the Paris Olympics marathon, was shown connected the Esplanade des Invalides connected Sunday.

Cheptegei died connected Thursday, 4 days aft her spouse attacked her successful the latest onslaught connected a pistillate jock successful the country.

The 33-year-old succumbed to the burns she suffered erstwhile her fellow poured petrol connected her and acceptable her ablaze successful Kenya, making her the 3rd pistillate jock to beryllium killed successful the state since October 2021.

Cheptegei, 33, suffered burns to much than 75 percent of her assemblage successful the August 31 attack.

The incidental took spot conscionable weeks aft Cheptegei participated successful the women’s marathon astatine the Paris Olympics, wherever she finished 44th.

On Friday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the French superior would wage tribute to Cheptegei by naming a sports installation successful her honour.

“She dazzled america present successful Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was successful each likelihood her beauty, spot and state which were intolerable for the idiosyncratic who committed this murder,” Hidalgo told reporters.

“Paris volition not hide her. We’ll dedicate a sports venue to her truthful that her representation and her communicative remains among america and helps transportation the connection of equality, which is simply a connection carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Cheptegei is the 3rd salient sportswoman to beryllium killed successful Kenya since October 2021.

Kenyan Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen described Cheptegei’s decease arsenic a nonaccomplishment “to the full region”.

“This is simply a captious moment— not conscionable to mourn the nonaccomplishment of a singular Olympian, but to perpetrate ourselves to creating a nine that respects and protects the dignity of each individual,” president of the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Athletes Commission, Ganzi Semu Mugula, said connected Friday.