Following the death of Rebecca Cheptegei, Lord Coe promises to look into ways to better protect female athletes – while a sports commentator calls for “jealous” partners of female athletes to be taken care of

Lord Coe, President of World Athletics, has promised to look for ways to better protect female athletes following the tragic death of marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei.

The Ugandan runner, who finished 44th in the Olympic marathon in Paris last month, was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend on Sunday following an argument at their home in Kenya.

Cheptegei suffered burns to 80 percent of her body and was treated in a hospital intensive care unit before being pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday.

The 33-year-old's death occurred almost two years after the death of Kenyan-based runner Damaris Mutua from Bahrain, who was found strangled with a pillow over her face in the Rift Valley town of Iten.

In October 2011, Kenyan Agnes Tirop, who had twice won bronze medals in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships, was found stabbed to death in the same city.

Cheptegei was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend on Sunday

Coe announced that he had been in contact with our council members in Africa to see how he could help

In both cases, the athletes' partners have been identified as the main suspects. Tirop's husband is charged with murder, which he denies, while the search for Mutua's boyfriend is ongoing.

Following the news of Cheptegei's death on Thursday, World Athletics President Coe said: “Our sport has lost a talented athlete in the most tragic and unimaginable circumstances.”

“Rebecca was an incredibly versatile runner who still had a lot to give on roads, mountains and cross-country courses.

“I have been in touch with our Council members in Africa to see how we can help, not only in our role as the governing body of the sport Rebecca competed in, but also to assess how our safeguarding policies could be updated to include abuse outside of sport. We also want to bring together stakeholders from all areas of sport to join forces and do everything we can to protect our female athletes from abuse of all kinds.”

Well-known athletics TV commentator Rob Walker wrote on X: “I have seen great progress in East Africa over the last 20 years. But the treatment of successful female athletes by jealous husbands/boyfriends must now be addressed. This is absolutely appalling.”

The number of reported attacks on women in Kenya has increased. The country's sports minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, added: “This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgency of tackling gender-based violence, as it increasingly affects even elite sport.”

Cheptegei began her career in 2010, initially running 1500m before moving on to long distances. She finished second in the Madrid and Cantalejo half marathons in 2011.

Athletics commentator Rob Walker called for a need to deal with “jealous husbands/boyfriends”

Walker took to social media to express his opinion on the news Thursday morning

Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in 2011, her husband is suspected of murder

Agnes Tirop is pictured with her husband Ibrahim Rotich, who is currently on trial accused of murdering the promising athletics star

In 2022, she won gold in the uphill and downhill races at the inaugural Mountain and Trail Running World Championships in Thailand.

Cheptegei also won the Padua Marathon in Italy earlier this year before finishing second in the Abu Dhabi Marathon with a time of 2 hours 22 minutes 47 seconds – the second fastest time by a Ugandan woman.

At last year's World Championships in Budapest, she finished 14th in the marathon, and at the Olympic Games in Paris, she finished 44th with a time of 2:32:14.

Ugandan runner James Kirwa said: “She was a very personable person. She helped all of us, even financially, and she brought me training shoes when she came back from the Olympics. She was like an older sister to me.”