Writer: Elias Biryabrema and Ammu Kannampilly
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Ugandan Olympic distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fireplace by her ex-partner, was killed on Saturday in her ancestral homeland in northeastern Uganda. Interment with navy honors.
After ending forty fourth within the Paris Olympic marathon on August 11, Cheptegei, 33, returned dwelling to Kenya’s western highlands, an space well-liked with worldwide runners for its high-altitude coaching amenities.
This will probably be her final recreation.
Kenyan police and her household declare her ex-boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach allegedly attacked Cheptegei three weeks later whereas she was along with her two daughters and sister Coming back from the church within the village of Kiniro.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, instructed Reuters that his daughter had made complaints in opposition to Marangach to police a minimum of thrice, most not too long ago on August 30, two days earlier than the alleged assault by her ex-partner.
She suffered burns to 80% of her physique and died 4 days later.
“I do not suppose I’ll survive,” she instructed her father whereas she was being handled on the hospital, he stated.
“If I die, bury me at dwelling in Uganda.”
A whole bunch of mourners, together with Olympians from Uganda and Kenya, gathered for her funeral in Buku, in northeastern Uganda close to the Kenyan border.
In a speech she was fondly eulogized as a hero, mom and sister earlier than her physique was laid in a grave a couple of minutes later at 5pm (1200 GMT).
She was buried with full navy honors, together with a gun salute from the Ugandan military to which she belonged.
Praising the athlete, Kenyan Sports activities Minister Kipchuba Mulkomen stated: “She embodies the admirable spirit of resilience, selflessness, generosity and exhausting work that collectively helped her win worldwide glory. ”
He stated her demise marked a “tragic finish to a superb life”.
Feminine athletes in danger
Cheptegei’s demise sparked outrage over excessive ranges of violence in opposition to ladies in Kenya, significantly on the earth of sport, with the marathon runner changing into the third elite runner since 2021 to allegedly die by the hands of a romantic companion .
One in three Kenyan women or ladies aged 15-49 have skilled bodily violence, in accordance with 2022 authorities information.
Rights teams say feminine athletes in Kenya are susceptible to exploitation and violence by males and that their prize cash far exceeds native earnings.
Cheptegei’s athletic achievements embrace profitable the 2021 World Mountain and Path Operating Championships in Thailand, ending first within the Padua Marathon in Italy a 12 months later and setting a nationwide marathon document.
Born in japanese Uganda in 1991, she met Marangach whereas coaching in Kenya and later moved to the nation to pursue her dream of changing into an elite runner.
The native operating neighborhood was divided when Malangach died from burns sustained within the assault simply days after Cheptegei.
Marathon runner Viola Cheptoo is co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a assist group for athletes going through home violence in Kenya.
Cheptegei’s demise shocked the world, however her title might encourage future athletes, with plans within the French capital to call a sports activities facility after her.
“She dazzled us in Paris. We noticed her. Her magnificence, her energy, her freedom,” the town’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, instructed reporters. “Paris won’t neglect her.”
