Rebecca Cheptegei, a 33 yo Ugandan long-distance runner who participated in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, died on Thursday in Kenya after being severely burned in a gasoline attack earlier this week.
Cheptegei died in an intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, according to Dr. Owen Menach, who works there. He explained in a phone chat that the cause was multiple organ failure.
Kenyan police reported that Dickson Ndiema, a man with whom Cheptegei was in a relationship, doused her with gasoline and set her ablaze following a dispute, NYTimes said.
Ndiema sustained burns to 30 percent of his body and is also receiving treatment at the same hospital.
Authorities plan to charge him with murder once he recovers.
Cheptegei’s death has sparked outrage among women’s rights activists, who have long raised concerns about rising femicide rates in Kenya and across Africa.
Between 2016 and 2023, at least 500 women have been victims of femicide in Kenya alone, according to Africa Data Hub.
World Athletics expressed shock and sorrow at the loss of the talented athlete, who held the Ugandan marathon record after completing the Abu Dhabi Marathon in 2022.
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, lamented the tragedy and called for discussions on better protecting female athletes from abuse.