Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei of Uganda passed away early on Thursday, September 5, 2024, four days after her boyfriend in Kenya doused her in petrol and set her on fire—the most recent attack on a female athlete in the nation.
More than 75% of Cheptegei’s body was burned during the attack on Sunday, according to reports from Kenyan and Ugandan media. Cheptegei, 33, was an Olympic competitor in Paris.
This makes her the third well-known athlete to pass away in Kenya since October 2021.
“We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a vicious attack by her boyfriend,” Donald Rukare, president of Uganda Olympics Committee, said in a post on X.
“May her gentle soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women,” he said.
After the incident, the runner, who placed 44th in Paris, was brought to a hospital in Eldoret, a city in the Kenyan Rift Valley.
