Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has tragically passed away after being attacked by her boyfriend. The athlete, who placed 44th in the Paris Olympics marathon, sustained severe burns covering 80% of her body when her partner doused her with gasoline and set her on fire last Sunday.
Cheptegei was in critical condition in the ICU at a hospital in Kenya.
According to local journalists, the attack followed a heated argument between the 33-year-old runner and her partner, with a loud noise heard just before the horrific incident. Police sources, as reported by Sky News, stated that the couple had been fighting over land Cheptegei had purchased near sports centers in the Trans Nzoia region.
The police revealed that the attack occurred last Sunday, with the assailant, Dixon Ndiema, also sustaining injuries and being hospitalized.