UPDATE: UGANDA ATLETE REBECCA CHEPTEGEI DIES FROM INJURIES AFTER BEING SET ON FIRE. (PHOTO).
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Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies from injuries after being set on fire
Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died in Kenya 4 days after being set on fire by her boyfriend.
The 33-year-old died at a Kenyan hospital after sustaining 80% burns to her body following an attack by her partner on Sunday.
Cheptegei had been receiving treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city. A spokesperson, Owen Menach, confirmed her death on Thursday.
Donald Rukare, president of Uganda Olympics Committee, said in a post on X: “We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei … following a vicious attack by her boyfriend. May her gentle soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women. This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure.”
The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church.
Trans Nzoia County police commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom had said on Monday that Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, bought a container of petrol, poured it on her and set her on fire. “The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Kosiom told the Standard newspaper in Kenya. “The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns.” Ndiema was being treated at the same hospital as Cheptegei.
Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans-Nzoia to be near the country’s many athletic training centres. A report filed by the local police chief states that the couple were heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.
A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.
Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics.
She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.
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