Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, a participant in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, died after being attacked by her boyfriend.
Photo: ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Gladys Chai von der Laage
Rebecca Cheptegei during the marathon at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
This was stated by the head of the National Olympic Committee, Donald Rukare, on Thursday.
Thirty-three-year-old Cheptegei fought for her life for four days in a hospital in the Kenyan city of Eldoret with burns on 80% of her body. She was attacked and set on fire by a man identified by police as her boyfriend.
“We have learned of the sad passing of our Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei…after an attack by her boyfriend,” Rukare said in a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Dr Owen Menach confirmed the athlete died after all her organs failed on Wednesday night.
The athlete completed the five-circle marathon in Paris and took 44th place.
The Ugandan lived in Kenya, where she had a house built near the training center. According to the police, the pair had been arguing over land before the attack. The news was brought by AP.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
