Paris to honour Olympic runner set on fire by ex-boyfriend

A sports venue successful Paris will beryllium named aft Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died aft her ex-boyfriend allegedly group her connected fire, nan French capital's politician has announced.

The 33-year-old mother died connected Thursday pinch terrible burns aft her erstwhile partner allegedly doused her successful petrol and group her connected occurrence extracurricular her location successful north-western Kenya connected Sunday.

The constabulary successful occidental Kenya has told nan BBC it is treating Cheptegei’s decease arsenic murder. It has antecedently said an investigation is nether way.

Paris politician Anne Hidalgo said dedicating a sports venue aft Cheptegei would thief "her representation and her communicative stay among us".

Cheptegei competed successful nan Olympic marathon successful Paris, coming 44th successful a clip of 2 hours 32 minutes and 14 seconds.

Ms Hidalgo told reporters nan runner "dazzled us" astatine nan Olympic Games successful nan French capital, adding that "Paris will not hide her".

"We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was successful each likelihood her beauty, spot and state which were intolerable for nan personification who committed this murder," she said.

"We'll dedicate a sports venue to her truthful that her representation and her communicative remains among america and helps transportation nan connection of equality, which is simply a connection carried by nan Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Joan Chelimo, a chap jock of Cheptegei's, said women request to "come together" pursuing nan incident.

“I knew Rebecca arsenic a person: we were together astatine nan Paris Olympics. She was a mum, she had been difficult moving to beryllium astatine nan Olympics," she told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

“She was nan breadwinner of her family and you tin ideate different girls were looking up to her."

Ms Chelimo added: “We are still hoping, and trying to hope, that nan perpetrators will beryllium held accountable for their wrongdoings."

At 19 years old, Cheptegei first represented Uganda successful an under-20 title astatine nan 2010 World Cross Country Championships and later transitioned to longer roadworthy races, making her marathon debut successful 2021.

She recorded a individual champion of 2 hours 22 minutes and 47 seconds nan pursuing year, making her nan second-fastest Ugandan female of each time.

Cheptegei was capable to support her family pinch her net from running.

Ms Chelimo said she thinks immoderate men consciousness "intimidated" by female athletes who are "going beyond nan accepted norms of men providing everything".

“They are becoming much financially stable, they are becoming much independent, and I deliberation their ex-partners don’t for illustration nan truth we are becoming independent, we are raising our voices more."

A study revenge by a section administrator alleged nan jock and her ex-partner had been wrangling complete a portion of land.

Attacks connected women person go a awesome interest successful Kenya. In 2022 astatine slightest 34% of women said they had knowledgeable beingness violence, according to a nationalist survey.

“More needs to beryllium done," Ms Chelimo said. "We are really hoping that now it’s different aftermath up telephone and for america to travel together.”