NEW DELHI: The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, declared on Friday that the city will dedicate a sports facility in memory of the Olympic runner from Uganda, Rebecca Cheptegei, who passed away.
Cheptegei, a competitor in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics last month, passed away on Thursday from severe burns sustained when her boyfriend doused her home in petrol and set it on fire.
"She dazzled us here in Paris. 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," Hidalgo told reporters, as per AFP.
"Paris will not forget her. We'll dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remains among us and helps carry the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games," Hidalgo added.
In the women's marathon at the Paris Games, Cheptegei, 33, made her Olympic debut by placing 44th.
Dickson Ndiema Marangach, her Kenyan partner, attacked her in front of her kids on Sunday, leaving her with 80% burns, according to police and medical professionals.
