A Ugandan marathon runner who competed at the Paris Olympics last month has died just days after her boyfriend soaked her with gasoline and set her on fire.
Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, died on Thursday at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where she was being treated after suffering burns to 80 percent of her body. Her death was caused by multiple organ failure, Dr. Owen Menach told The New York Times.
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Cheptegei was attacked less than a month after she competed in the 2024 Summer Games, where she placed 44th in the women’s marathon.
On Monday, Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Cheptegei’s partner had bought a can of gasoline, doused her with it, and then set her on fire during a disagreement on Sunday. A report filed by the local police chief said the pair had been heard arguing about land Cheptegei bought in Trans Nzoia that her parents said she’d acquired to build a house close to the county’s athletic training centers.
The boyfriend, identified as Dickson Ndiema, was also burned in the incident and is being treated at the same hospital where Cheptegei died. Dr. Menach said Ndiema sustained burns to 30 percent of his body and described his condition in the facility’s intensive care unit as “improving and stable,” according to the Associated Press.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence,” the Uganda Athletics Federation wrote in a statement on X Thursday. “As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace.”
Donald Rukare, the head of Uganda’s Olympic Committee, separately condemned violence against women. “This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete,” he wrote in a statement. “Her legacy will continue to endure.”
