Olympic statues torn down as local residents slam 'disgraceful' stunt

In the Kenyan city of Eldoret, statues honoring three athletes have been demolished after locals labeled the designs a "disgrace". Among those reportedly depicted in the designs was Olympian Faith Kipyegon, with one critic even asserting that the carving of the legendary star was a "joke".

Kipyegon, a long-distance runner, recently clinched gold again at the 2024 Paris Olympics , marking her third time winning the top prize. The 1500 meters champion previously triumphed in both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, solidifying her status as one of the standout stars of her generation.

Her performance in the 1500 meters set a new world record with a time of 3min 51.29sec. She also bagged the silver in the 4000 meters during another successful Games.

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However, attempts to commemorate her achievements were met with criticism as Eldoret residents objected to the design of the statue erected in her honor.

One Twitter user expressed their disappointment, saying: " These statue of Faith Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge in Eldoret represent our collective mediocrity as a country," while another disgruntled individual simply stated: "It's a disgrace calling it Faith Kipyegon statue."

Another person was similarly upset over the depiction of Eliud Kipchoge, which sparked divided opinions. They vented: "Kenya is a joke. Whoever did this to our athletes will not see heaven."

The BBC has reported that, following a backlash on social media, the controversial statues have been removed. An insider claimed the sculptures were whisked away to an "unknown" location amid the ongoing online uproar.

Previously, Kipyegon had expressed her dedication to being a role model for future generations, stating: "I have been performing for many years and getting the gold medals. I want to do my best and motivate the young girls and young women to know that Faith has come a long way, and she's still performing at the Olympic level and getting these medals, especially the gold medal.

"How I started athletics was like magic or something. I started when I was in primary school, back at home, where I used to do training in the school. I used to play football, gymnastics. After that we got a teacher [who] introduced us to running. I started running and knowing that athletics might [get] me somewhere.

"It's the love of the sport. Wanting to inspire the young generation and the young girls around the world, that you can also take athletics as a profession. Going out there running early in the morning and going to camps, staying there, from Monday to Saturday," shared the offspring of two former school athletes.

"Because we as athletes take what we have given by God [as] our talent. To inspire the young generation and upcoming athletes to know that if you take it seriously, it can put you on another level in the world."