Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died at a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated after sustaining 80% burns on her body due to an attack by her partner.
A spokesperson at the hospital, Owen Menach, confirmed her death on Thursday. Cheptegei was receiving treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.
Cheptegei was a distance runner who finished 44th in the women's marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema was also burned, and was being treated at the same hospital.
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Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.
A report filed by the local chief states that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.
