Ugandan Marathon Runner From Paris Olympics Dies After Being Set on Fire by Boyfriend

Patrick Andres | Sep 5, 2024

Aug 26, 2023; Budapest, Hungary; Rebecca Cheptegei (UGA) and Keira D'Amato (USA) run during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 women's marathon. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rebecca Cheptegei, a marathon runner from Uganda who had competed in the Paris Olympics this summer, has died after being attacked by her boyfriend with gasoline. She was 33.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence," Uganda's athletics federation wrote on social media early Thursday morning. "As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest in peace."

Per police in Kenya—where Cheptegei lived—Cheptegei's boyfriend Dickson Ndiema set her on fire in her home on Sunday with a can of gasoline over a land dispute. The runner suffered burns to three-quarters of her body and eventually died of organ failure.

Cheptegei finished 44th in the Olympic marathon; she set a Ugandan record for the fastest time in a women's marathon race in 2022.

BREAKING NEWS💔💔
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/ZdxmZ3wDuE

— UGANDA ATHLETICS FEDERATION🇺🇬🇺🇬 UAF (@UgaAthletics2) September 5, 2024

As CNN's Nimi Princewill pointed out, Cheptegei is the third elite female athlete since 2021 to have been killed in Kenya in a suspected case of gendered violence.

"We must do more to combat gender-based violence in our society, which in recent years has reared its ugly head in elite sporting circles," Kenyan sports minister Kipchumba Murkomen said in a statement.