Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died after her partner doused her in petrol and left her with burns across 80 percent of her body.
The world of athletics is mourning the death of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who succumbed to her injuries in a Kenyan hospital after her partner doused her in petrol.
The 33-year-old long distance runner, who competed in the women’s marathon at this year’s Paris Olympics, was left with burns across 80 per cent of her body and succumbed to multiple organ failure following Sunday’s attack.
Trans Nzoia County Police said that Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, bought a can of gasoline, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday.
Ndiema was also burned and was being treated at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, where Cheptegei was admitted. The hospital said he was still in the intensive care unit with burns over 30 percent of his body.
The attack is believed to have been caused by a dispute over a plot of land Cheptegei had bought in Trans Nzoia County, an area she chose for its renowned athletic training centers.
