Ugandan athlete Cheptegei dies from injuries sustained in petrol attack

Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, has died from burns four days after police say her former boyfriend poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.

She died at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, in Kenya’s Rift Valley.

Tributes poured in for the athlete, with Kenya sports cabinet secretary Kipchumba Murkomen saying that the tragedy was a stark reminder of gender-based violence in society.

“As a government, we are committed to supporting justice for Rebecca”

The Kenya National Olympic Committee extended its condolences to the Ugandan sports community, family, and friends of Cheptegei.

“Rebecca’s talent and perseverance as Uganda’s Women’s Marathon record holder and a Paris 2024 Olympian will always be remembered and celebrated,” it said.

The incident occurred just weeks after Cheptegei participated in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she was placed 44th.

Police said Cheptegei was attacked by Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who doused her with petrol and set her on fire on Sunday at her home.

“Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze,” Trans-Nzoia County police commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom told, Kenya-based, The Star newspaper.