CNN
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Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan marathon runner who competed in the Paris Olympics last month, has died days after being burned by her boyfriend, the country’s athletics federation confirmed Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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

Cheptegei, 33, who lived in Kenya, was in critical condition after suffering burns over 75% of her body following Sunday’s attack at her home in the western Trans Nzoia County. Her death was also confirmed on X by the Kenyan Olympic team.

Cheptegei finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Olympic Games a few weeks ago.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom said earlier this week that the athlete was doused in petrol by her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, who stormed her house with a jerry can of petrol and set her alight after a dispute over land. Ndiema, who was also burnt, is receiving treatment at a hospital in Eldoret town.

A medical official at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where Cheptegei was being treated told CNN’s Citizen TV on Thursday that she suffered multi-organ failure on Wednesday evening.

Cheptegei’s mother, Agnes – speaking to reporters outside the hospital on Thursday – described her as “a good child”.

Uganda’s Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang described Cheptegei’s death as “tragic” in a message on X Thursday, adding that “Kenyan authorities are investigating the circumstances under which she died and a more detailed report and programme will be provided in due course.”

Kenya’s Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said in a statement that Cheptegei’s death was “not only a loss to Uganda and the athletics community, but to the entire region.”

Cheptegei is the third female athlete to die in Kenya in the past three years.

In 2021, 25-year-old Kenyan Olympic runner Agnes Tirop was found dead in her home in Iten in the country’s Elgeyo-Marakwet County with stab wounds to her neck. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was charged with murder after Kenyan prosecutors accused him of killing her.

Months later, another Kenyan athlete, Damaris Mutua, 28, was found strangled in a house with a pillow over her face. Mutua had finished third in a half marathon in Angola earlier that month. Authorities said her boyfriend was the prime suspect.

Sports Minister Murkomen said the latest tragedy involving Cheptegei “is a stark reminder that we must do more to combat gender-based violence in our society, which has emerged in elite sports circles in recent years.”

This story has been updated with additional information.