Olympic athlete dies days after being set on fire by ex-boyfriend

Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died, days after she was doused in gasoline and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend.

The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who recently competed in the Paris Olympics, suffered severe burns after Sunday’s attack.

Authorities in northwestern Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said he had lost a “very supportive” daughter. Fellow Ugandan athlete James Kirwa told the BBC about her generosity and how she had helped other runners financially.

A report from a local official alleged that the athlete and her ex-partner had a dispute over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is underway.

Cheptegei, who comes from a region just across the border with Uganda, is said to have bought a plot of land in the Trans Nzoia region and built a house there, close to Kenya’s athletics training centres.

Attacks on women have become a major problem in Kenya, with at least 34% of women saying they had experienced physical violence in 2022, according to a national survey.

“This tragedy is a painful reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which is increasingly affecting even elite sports,” said Kenyan Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen.

Several organizations within the UN have also spoken out on the issue.

“We join the UN Population Fund and UN Women in strongly condemning (the violent killing of Cheptegei),” UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, as quoted by AFP news agency.

Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where she was being treated, Mr Cheptegei asked the Kenyan government to ensure justice was done in his daughter’s death.

“We have lost our breadwinner,” he added, wondering how her two young children would “continue their education.”

Dr Kimani Mbugua, a consultant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, told local media that staff did everything they could for her but the athlete “suffered severe burns which unfortunately led to multi-organ failure, ultimately leading to her passing away this morning at 5:30am (02:30 GMT)”.

Kirwa, who often trained with Cheptegei and had visited her in hospital, told the BBC she was “a very kind person. (She) helped us all, even financially, and she brought me training shoes when she came back from the Olympics. She was like an older sister to me.”

The Uganda Athletics Federation said in a statement on X: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning. She was tragically a victim of domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest in peace.”

“This is heartbreaking. Even more heartbreaking that this is not the first time the athletic community has lost such an incredible female athlete to domestic violence,” British Olympic runner Eilish McColgan wrote on X.

Cheptegei’s ex-boyfriend was also admitted to hospital in Eldoret – but with less severe burns. He remains in intensive care but his condition was “improving and stable”, said Dr Owen Menach of Moi Hospital.

Earlier, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom was quoted by local media as saying: “The couple were heard arguing outside their home. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

“This was a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will live on,” Uganda Olympic Committee head Donald Rukare said on X.

Her father told reporters earlier this week that he had been praying “for justice for my daughter” and that he had never seen such an inhumane act in his life.

Uganda’s Sports Minister Peter Ogwang said arrangements were being made to transport Cheptegei’s body back to Uganda for burial.

“We mourn with the family as a country,” he told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.

He added that Cheptegei had wanted to talk to him when they were at the Olympics together.

“She (said she) had a family problem.”

Cheptegei recently finished 44th in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Paris.

In 2022, she also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Her death follows the murders of fellow East African athletes Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Damaris Mutua the following year. Their partners were identified by authorities as the prime suspects in both cases.

Tirop’s husband is currently accused of murder, but he denies it. Meanwhile, the search continues for Mutua’s friend.

“Today was a sad moment for me. It was a sad moment for athletes because it really reminded us of the day Agnes was killed,” Kenyan athlete Joan Chelimo told the BBC.

She is involved with Tirop’s Angels, an organisation she says was founded as a “wake-up call” after Tirop’s murder to address gender-based violence.

“We say that as athletes we need to unite and just try to create awareness, create a place where women can just come and have their say, but it’s still increasing.”

Cheptegei’s friend Milcah Chemos-Cheywa, a Kenyan athlete who accompanied her to Paris, recognized these feelings.

“I can say that we are still in shock and we are in pain, especially as athletes, and this is happening in Kenya,” she told Reuters news agency. “We remember the case of Agnes Tirop, now it has happened to Rebecca, so we are not happy.”