Rebecca Cheptegei: Olympic participant dies after arson attack

Rebecca Cheptegei is running the Olympic Marathon in Paris. The woman from Uganda has now become the victim of a case of serious violence. The 33-year-old was doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend. She was taken to hospital on Sunday. On Thursday it was announced that she was dead. She did not survive the brutal attack.

The chairman of the Ugandan Olympic Committee wrote on X: “We have received the sad news that our Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei has died following a violent attack by her boyfriend. May her soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women.” He regrets a “cowardly and senseless act” that led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will live on.

Her partner is said to have ambushed her at her home while the athlete was in church. “The couple was heard arguing. “During the argument, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before setting her on fire,” said the police commander. The atrocity is said to have been triggered by a dispute over a piece of land. Cheptegei and her partner are said to have been caught in the flames. Neighbors put out the fire and transported the two to the hospital.

80 percent of Cheptegei's body surface was affected by burns. She was immediately taken to the intensive care unit, but any help came too late. The suspected perpetrator is also in the intensive care unit with burns on 30 percent of his body surface.

Cheptegei, 33, finished 44th in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympic Games. Before that, the athlete finished 14th at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and won a gold medal at the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai.