Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend. The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered extensive burns after Sunday’s attack. The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church.
A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way. Cheptegei won the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022 There are concerns about the increasing cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya, several of whom have been killed in recent years.
Speaking to journalists outside the hospital where she had been treated, her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said that he had lost a daughter who was “very supportive” and asked the Kenyan government to ensure justice is done. Dr Owen Menach, the head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, told local media that the athlete had died after all her organs failed.
Dr Owen Menach, the head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, where she had been admitted, told local media that the athlete had died after all her organs failed. Cheptegei’s former boyfriend was also admitted to the hospital – but with less severe burns. He is still in intensive care but his condition was “improving and stable”, Dr Menach said.
Ms Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a piece of land in Trans Nzoia county and built a house, to be near Kenya’s many athletic training centres. Rebecca Cheptegei, competes at the Discovery 10km road race in Kapchorwa, Uganda on January 20, 2023. Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics.
Her death comes two years after the killings of fellow East African athletes Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua, with their partners identified as the main suspects in both cases by the authorities. Tirop’s husband is currently facing murder charges, which he denies, while a hunt for Mutua’s boyfriend continues.
