Kampala, Uganda - March 02, 2022

Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who took part in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics, died on Thursday after being the victim of a sexist attack on Sunday by her partner, who set her on fire after pouring a flammable liquid on her. "We deeply regret having to announce the death of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei," the Ugandan athletics federation posted on social media X, which has demanded justice for these events. The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee, Donald Rukare, also confirmed the death of the athlete on social media. "A cowardly and senseless act has led us to lose a great athlete. Her legacy will live on," he said in another message. Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the last Olympic marathon, was attacked by her boyfriend in Kenya. Neighbours put out the flames and took both the victim and the attacker to the hospital, although the athlete suffered burns on 80 per cent of her body.

This footage shows Rebecca Cheptegei with number 140 participating in the 2022 Nile Marathon where she came in fifth place on March 2, 2022.