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Kenyans ridicule ‘joke’ statue of Olympic star Kipyegon

Kenyans poured scorn and ridicule Thursday on a statue they said depicted Olympic star Faith Kipyegon in the world-renowned running hub of Eldoret as the nation feted its victorious Olympians.

The amateurish statue of a female athlete, wearing a top emblazoned with the Kenyan flag, was hastily removed after residents complained, media reports said, but not before images of the effigy went viral.

Social media users widely described it as a statue of Kipyegon, some mocking it as a “disgrace” to Kenya’s athletics queen and a “joke”, while others called for the sculptor to be arrested or prosecuted.

Kipyegon made history at the Paris Games when she became the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic 1,500m gold medals, crossing the line in a new Olympic record of 3min 51.29sec.

The 30-year-old also took silver in the 5,000m after initially being disqualified for an alleged shove on Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay.

It was one of several statues put up in Eldoret of Olympic athletics, with another said to be of marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge, whose hopes of winning a historic third straight gold in Paris were dashed when he pulled up about 30 kilometres into the race.

Kenya’s returning Olympians are being given a hero’s welcome in Eldoret, which is due to be formerly declared a city later Thursday by President William Ruto.

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