Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set alight by ex-boyfriend

[Cicada 5]

The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered extensive burns after Sunday's attack.

The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters.

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

A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.

Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a plot in Trans Nzoia county and built a house to be near Kenya's elite athletics training centres.

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

"This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which has increasingly affected even elite sports," Kenya's Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said.

Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei: Olympic athlete dies days after being set alight by ex-boyfriend

Marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, was doused in petrol after returning home from church.

www.bbc.com

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

What a fucking gruesome way to die. Are we going to be hearing "he seemed like such a nice man" when signs of abuse were obvious? This kind of thing rarely happens out of the blue.

 

[Gergar12]

What a shitty, jealous person.

 

[Cicada 5]

Ex-partner who killed Ugandan athlete dies from burns

The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who killed her by setting her on fire, has himself died from burns sustained in the attack, a Kenyan hospital official has said.

Dickson Ndiema ambushed the marathon runner as she returned home from church more than a week ago. He then doused her with petrol and set her ablaze.

Local administrators said the two had been in conflict over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.

Ndiema died on Monday night at the intensive care unit, where according to the hospital, he had been admitted with burns on more than 40% of his body.

Rebecca Cheptegei killing: Ex-boyfriend who set Ugandan athlete on fire dies from burns

Rebecca Cheptegei was set alight and later died after Dickson Ndiema ambushed her near her home.

www.bbc.com

 

[thebobmaster]

My, how the turntables.