Kenyans Make Fun of Olympic Star Kipyegon’s “Joke” Statue

As the country celebrated its winning Olympians, Kenyans ridiculed and mocked a statue they claimed to be of Olympic great Faith Kipyegon in the well-known running mecca of Eldoret.

Residents objected, prompting the hasty removal of the unprofessional monument of a female athlete wearing a top imprinted with the Kenyan flag, according to media sources. However, not before photos of the effigy went viral.

Many people on social media referred to it as a statue of Kipyegon. Some dubbed it a “joke” and a “disgrace” to Kenya’s athletics queen, while others demanded that the sculptor be detained or charged with a crime.

At the Paris Games, Kipyegon created history by becoming the first female athlete to win three gold medals in the 1,500-meter event in a row. She also set a new Olympic record by finishing in 3 minutes, 51.29 seconds.

In the 5,000 meters, the 30-year-old also won silver after being first disqualified for allegedly pushing Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay.

It was one of several sculptures dedicated to Olympic athletics that were placed in Eldoret. Another is purportedly dedicated to marathon great Eliud Kipchoge, whose dreams of taking home an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal in Paris were shattered when he pulled up approximately thirty kilometers into the race.

Eldoret, which President William Ruto is scheduled to officially name a city later on Thursday, is welcoming Kenya’s returning Olympians with heroism.