Days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by her partner Dickson Ndiema, Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei died on Thursday (September 5, 2024) at a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated after 80% of her body was burned. She was 33 years old. (More Sports News)
The long-distance runner died early in the morning after her organs failed, an Associated Press report quoted Owen Menach, a spokesperson at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city, as saying. She had been fully sedated on admission at the hospital.
Cheptegei had competed in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place. Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told journalists at the hospital that he had lost a daughter who was “very supportive” and hopes to get justice.
Earlier, Trans Nzoia county police commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom had said that Ndiema bought a can of gasoline, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement last Sunday. Ndiema was also burned and was being treated at the same hospital.
AP quoted Menach as saying that Ndiema was still in the intensive care unit with burns over 30% of his body but was “improving and stable.”
The athlete's parents said that she bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county's many athletic training centers. A report filed by the local administrator said Cheptegei and Ndiema were heard fighting over the land where her house was built before the attack.
There are growing concerns about the cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya. Cheptegei is the third to have died since October 2021.
The Uganda Athletics Federation eulogized Cheptegei on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), writing, “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace.”
Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare called the attack "a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete."
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead and a post mortem report stated that she was strangled.
The year before, long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death at her home. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was arrested and charged with murder. The case is still ongoing.
(With AP inputs)
