NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died in a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated after 80 percent of her body was burned in an attack by her partner. She was 33.
A spokesman for the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Owen Menach, confirmed Cheptegei’s death on Thursday. Menach said the long-distance runner died of organ failure early in the morning. She was fully sedated when she was admitted to the hospital.
Less than a month before the attack, Cheptegei had taken part in the women’s marathon at the Olympic Games in Paris. She came in 44th place.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told reporters at the hospital that he had lost a daughter who had given him “a lot of support” and that he hoped for justice.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commissioner Jeremiah ole Kosiom said on Monday that Cheptegei’s partner Dickson Ndiema bought a jerrycan of petrol during an argument on Sunday, poured it on her and set her on fire. Ndiema also suffered burns and was being treated at the same hospital.
Menach said Ndiema was still in intensive care with burns to 30 percent of his body, but his condition was improving and stable.
Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter had bought land in Trans Nzoia to be close to the county’s numerous sports centres. A report from the local chief said the two were heard fighting over the land on which their house was built before the attack.
The Uganda Athletics Federation paid tribute to Cheptegei on social media platform X, writing: “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei this morning, who was tragically the victim of domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and demand justice. May her soul rest in peace.”
Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare called the attack “a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great athlete.”
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechase runner Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead and an autopsy report stated that she had been strangled. In 2021, long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death in her home. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was arrested and charged with murder; the case is still ongoing.
