Ugandan Olympic Runner Rebecca Cheptegei Dies At 33 After Being Set On Fire By Boyfriend

Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics last month, died four days after being soaked in petrol and set on fire by her former partner.

Cheptegei, who had been receiving intensive care at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, Kenya, passed away Thursday morning after suffering organ failure. The Olympian succumbed to burns that covered almost 80% of her body. 

According to a police report, Cheptegei and her boyfriend had been arguing over land before he doused her in gasoline and set her on fire. 

“The couple were heard quarreling outside their house,” Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiomtold the BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

Her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, was also said to have sustained serious injuries from the altercation. 

The Ugandan runner had competed in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she finished in 44th place with a season’s best time of 2:32:14

On Thursday, the Ugandan Olympic Committee issued a statement calling for “law enforcement agencies to take swift and decisive action to bring the perpetrator to justice for this cowardly and deplorable action.”

Unfortunately, Cheptegei’s death is the latest that ties to a series of domestic violence cases against women athletes in Kenya. 

Kenyan runners Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua were allegedly killed by their partners in the same area as Cheptegei, only six months apart from one another.