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Ugandan athlete who competed in the Olympics, Rebecca Cheptegei, passes away after being set ablaze by her ex-boyfriend.

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1 year ago

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Rebecca Cheptegei represented Uganda in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics 2024 [File: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports]

Uganda’s Olympian Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by boyfriend

 


Marathon runner Cheptegei died aged 33 due to multiple organ failure after suffering 80 percent burns when her boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her on fire in Kenya.

Uganda’s Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend, the country’s Olympic chief said.

“We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei … following a vicious attack by her boyfriend,” Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) President Donald Rukare said in a post on X on Thursday.

The 33-year-old succumbed to the burns she suffered when her boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her ablaze in Kenya, making her the third female athlete to be killed in the country since October 2021.

 

“[Cheptegei] passed today morning after her organs failed,” Owen Menach, senior director of clinical services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), told the Reuters news agency, adding that a full report regarding the circumstances of her death would be released on Thursday afternoon.

Peter Ogwang, Uganda’s minister of state for education and sports, described her death as “tragic”.

“Kenyan authorities are investigating the circumstances under which she died and a more detailed report and program will be provided in due course,” he said.

UOC chief Rukare termed the incident a “cowardly and senseless act” and said it had deprived the country of a “great athlete”.

“Her legacy will continue to endure,” he added.

Cheptegei had sustained burns to three-quarters of her body, the acting head of MTRH in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret, where she was being treated, told reporters on Tuesday.

Identifying the accused as her partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, police said he doused Cheptegei with petrol and set her alight on Sunday at her home in Endebess in the western county of Trans-Nzoia.

The incident took place just weeks after Cheptegei participated in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th.

The Uganda Olympic Committee called for swift action in a statement confirming Cheptegei’s death.

“We urge the relevant law enforcement agencies to take swift and decisive action to bring the perpetrator to justice for this cowardly and deplorable action.”

Cheptegei began her career in 2010 and represented Uganda in various long-distance races, making her first Olympic appearance at the games in Paris.

Her parents travelled to Trans-Nzoia and told local media that their daughter had bought land in the Kenyan county and built a house where she stayed for her training.

She met Ndiema in Trans-Nzoia and the attack stemmed from a dispute over the house she owned, according to a report in The Standard newspaper.

The Uganda Athletics Federation decried the incident and termed Cheptegei a “victim to domestic violence”.

“We condemn such acts and call for justice,” the sports body said in a post.

Kenyan media reported that one of Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the assault at her mother’s home.

“He kicked me while I tried to run to the rescue of my mother,” Kenya’s The Standard quoted her as saying.

“I immediately cried out for help, attracting a neighbour who tried to extinguish the flames with water, but it was not possible,” said the girl, who was not named.

Marangach was also wounded in the incident, sustaining 30 percent burns on his body.

Cheptegei’s death shines a spotlight on violence experienced by sportswomen in Kenya. The assault comes two years after Kenyan-born athlete Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, a world-famous running hub in the Rift Valley.

And in 2021, record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, 25, was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten in 2021. Her estranged husband is on trial over her murder. He has denied the charges.

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EPL: Fulham must move on from defeat to Manchester City — Iwobi

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2 days ago

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December 3, 2025

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Alex Iwobi says Fulham must stay positive despite their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.

Marco Silva’s side put up a spirited display in the encounter, and were unlucky not to get at least one point.

Iwobi started the fight back by scoring the second goal for Fulham early in the second half.

The versatile midfielder’s compatriot, Samuel Chukwueze then rose from the bench to score two more goals for the Cottagers.

Manchester City, however, held on to go home with maximum points.

Iwobi stated that they deserved more from the game.

“I feel disappointed because we didn’t get anything out of the fighting spirit that we showed, but I think we have to take the positivity from the game,” Iwobi told the club’s official website.

Fulham will be away to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Sunday.

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EPL: Guardiola names team that impresses him everyday

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2 days ago

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December 3, 2025

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Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has named the Premier League club that has impressed him so much this season.

The Spaniard said that Enzo Maresca’s side have really impressed him with the improvement they make everyday.

Speaking after Manchester City beat Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Guardiola pointed out that a team must remain consistent to win the title.

Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points behind Arsenal with the victory over Fulham, but the Gunners could maintain their five points lead with a win over Brentford on Wednesday night.

“Chelsea impresses me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long,” he told reporters after the win.

“Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we in December, January or February we were behind.

“The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.

“But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.”

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Outrage As ‘Biological Male’ Wins World’s Strongest Woman Event in Texas (Photos)

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1 week ago

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November 26, 2025

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The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked outrage after an alleged transgender athlete won gold.

American Jammie Booker, who is accused of being a biological male, beat Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson to victory at the event in Arlington, Texas.

According to Mail Online, Thompson walked off the podium, appearing to say ‘this is bulls***,’ while Booker celebrated. The Brit has since been crowned the ‘true World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of World’s Strongest Woman, has sensationally claimed that no one – not even the organizers – knew about Booker’s background.

Details on the American are not clear, but the publication sighted a YouTube video – uploaded to what appears to be Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017, with Booker saying: ‘Everyone is dying to tell their own story and I am obviously no exception to that.

‘I’m 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.’

On Monday night, Roberts posted a picture on Instagram that read ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the picture: ‘I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.

But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.

This isn’t about identity. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.

‘What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack.

‘My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.

‘I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025’

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