Kipyegon, who made history at the Paris Games by winning her third consecutive gold medal in the 1,500 metres, was honoured with a statue that failed to impress many in her homeland. Social media users slammed the "work of art".

Described as "hideous" and "a disgrace" by social media users, the statue was quickly removed after a wave of criticism that overshadowed the celebration of Kipyegon's achievements. Kipyegon made history at the Paris Games by winning her third consecutive gold medal in the 1,500 metres.

The statue in question is one of several erected in Eldoret, a prestigious area of the town and capital of Uasin Gishu County, to honour athletes in the world-renowned athletics hub.

The painted figure of a female athlete wearing a top emblazoned with the Kenyan flag was hastily removed after residents complained, according to media reports, but not before images went viral.

Social media users widely identified the statue as that of Kipyegon, with radio station NRG describing it as "hideous", while others called it a "disgrace" to Kenya's athletics queen, with some even calling for the sculptor to be arrested.

Kipyegon made history at the Paris Games by becoming the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 metres, crossing the line in a new Olympic record time of 3 minutes 51.29 seconds.

The 30-year-old also won a silver medal in the 5,000m after being disqualified for allegedly shoving Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay.

"The impostors of Eldoret who made this statue of #FaithKipyegon should be brought to justice immediately," said former foreign minister Moses Kuria.

Brian Chibole, 24, one of the Eldoret construction workers who helped dismantle the statue, told AFP it was now in the company's yard waiting to be shipped back to Nairobi.

Another equally amateurish statue, also removed, was said to represent marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge, whose dreams of a historic third successive gold medal in Paris were dashed when he was forced to pull out of the race after about 30km.

With a total of 11 medals (four gold, two silver and five bronze), Kenya finished 17th on the Olympic medals table, the best performance by an African nation at the thirty-third modern Olympic Games.

But the backlash over the statues overshadowed the reception for the Olympic heroes in Eldoret, where President William Ruto awarded the athletes Sh3 million (€750) for each gold medal, Sh2 million (€500) for silver and Sh1 million (€250) for bronze.

"I am very proud this morning, almost emotional, that these athletes are making our country great," said Ruto.