File photo of runner Rebecca Cheptegei at the Discovery 10km Road Race in Kapchorwa, Uganda, in 2023 | Photo credit: AP
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died, the head of the country’s Olympic committee said on Thursday (September 5, 2024), days after her boyfriend doused her with petrol and set her on fire.
Cheptegei, 33, a Paris Olympics competitor, suffered burns over more than 75% of her body in the attack in Kenya on Sunday (September 1, 2024), making her the third female athlete to be killed in the country since October 2021, Kenyan and Ugandan media reported.
“We have just received news of the tragic death of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a brutal attack on her by her boyfriend,” Uganda Olympic Committee president Donald Rukare said in a post on X.
“May her soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women. This was a cowardly and senseless act that cost us a great athlete. Her legacy will live on.”
Cheptegei, ranked 44th in Paris, had a home in Kenya where she lived while training in the country.
Published – September 05, 2024 01:07 PM IST