Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has succumbed to horrendous injuries sustained after she was doused in petrol and set alight in her home.
Cheptegei, 33, suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body in Sunday’s brutal attack that was allegedly carried out by her ex-boyfriend, according to medical officials.
She was rushed to the intensive care unit at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, in the hopes doctors could stabilise her.
But the facility’s acting director Dr Owen Menach this morning confirmed Cheptegei died late last night.
‘Unfortunately, we lost her after all her organs failed,’ Menach told Kenyan press.
The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Donald Rukare said in a post on X today: ‘We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a vicious attack by her boyfriend.
‘This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure,’ he added.
A press release from the UOC bearing Rukare’s signature later urged law enforcement agencies ‘to take swift and decisive action to bring the perpetrator to justice’.
The horrific incident took place just weeks after Cheptegei had taken part in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she placed 44th.
Kenyan police confirmed the runner was attacked at her house in western Trans Nzoia County, close to the Ugandan border, where she had recently relocated to be closer to superior Kenyan training facilities.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said her former partner Dickson Ndiema had bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement on Sunday.
Police discovered a five-litre jerry can, a bag, and a burned phone at the scene of the incident, according to Kenyan newspaper The Nation.
Rebecca’s father Joseph Cheptegei, speaking earlier this week from hospital alongside his other daughter Evalyne Chelagat, claimed that the two were fighting over her land at Endebes in Trans Nzoia shortly before the alleged attack occurred.
