Paris honors Olympic runner set on fire by ex-boyfriend

A sports venue in Paris will be named after Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after her ex-boyfriend allegedly set her on fire, the mayor of the French capital has announced.

The 33-year-old mother died on Thursday from severe burns after her ex-partner doused her with petrol and set her on fire outside her home in northwestern Kenya on Sunday.

Police in western Kenya have told the BBC they are treating Cheptegei’s death as murder, having previously said an investigation was underway.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said opening a sports venue in honour of Cheptegei would ensure that “her memory and her story remain among us”.

Cheptegei competed in the Olympic marathon in Paris and finished 44th in a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes and 14 seconds.

Ms Hidalgo told reporters the runner “amazed us” at the Olympic Games in the French capital, adding that “Paris will not forget her”.

“We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was in all likelihood her beauty, strength and freedom that was unbearable for the person who committed this murder,” she said.

“We will dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remain with us and we can spread the message of equality that is conveyed by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Joan Chelimo, a fellow athlete of Cheptegei, said women need to “come together” after the incident.

“I knew Rebecca as a person: we were at the Olympics together in Paris. She was a mother, she had worked hard to be at the Olympics,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

“She was the breadwinner of her family and you can imagine that other girls looked up to her.”

Ms Chelimo added: “We still hope, and try to hope, that the perpetrators will be held accountable for their crimes.”

At the age of 19, Cheptegei first represented Uganda in an under-20 race at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships. She later moved on to longer road races and made her marathon debut in 2021.

The following year she ran a personal best of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 47 seconds, making her the second-fastest Ugandan woman of all time.

Cheptegei was able to support her family with the income she earned from running.

Ms Chelimo said she thinks some men feel “intimidated” by female athletes who “go beyond the traditional norms that men have to deliver everything”.

“They are becoming more financially stable, they are becoming more independent and I think their ex-partners don’t like the fact that we are becoming independent. We are making our voices heard more.”

A report from a local administrator revealed that the athlete and her ex-partner had been arguing over a piece of land.

Attacks on women have become a major problem in Kenya, with at least 34% of women saying they had experienced physical violence in 2022, according to a national survey.

“More needs to be done,” Ms. Chelimo said. “We really hope that this is another wake-up call and that we come together.”

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