Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei died in hospital in Kenya, where she was being treated after suffering burns to 80 per cent of her body during an attack carried out by her partner. She was 33 years old.
The spokesman for the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the town of Eldoret, Owen Menach, confirmed Cheptegei’s death on Thursday. Menach said that the long-distance runner died of multiple organ failure in the early hours of the morning, after being hospitalised in a critical condition and fully sedated.
Cheptegei had competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack, finishing 44th.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told the press that he had lost a daughter who was ‘very supportive’ and that he hoped justice would be done.
According to Trans Nzoia county police commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom, Cheptegei’s partner Dickson Ndiema bought a gallon of petrol, poured the liquid over her and set her on fire during an argument on Sunday. Ndiema also suffered burns and was being treated at the same hospital.
Menach said that Ndiema remains in the intensive care unit, with burns on 30 per cent of her body, but is ‘improving and stable.’
Cheptegei’s parents said that their daughter had bought a plot of land in Trans Nzoia to be close to the various athletics training centres in the area. A report from the local chief indicated that the couple were overheard arguing about the property where Cheptegei’s house was built before the attack.
The Uganda Athletics Federation mourned Cheptegei’s death on the X platform (formerly Twitter), writing: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, who tragically fell victim to domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest in peace.’
The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee, Donald Rukare, labelled the attack ‘a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great athlete.’
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead of knife wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born, naturalised Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead, and the report indicated strangulation. In 2021, long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death in her home, and her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was arrested and charged with murder, with the case still ongoing.