Rebecca Cheptegei suffered a tragic fate after the Olympic Games. © APA/afp / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Attacker of killed Olympic participant dies

Following a fatal attack on Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei in Kenya, the suspected perpetrator has also died. This was announced by the Moi Reference Hospital, where Cheptegei and her former partner were treated.

September 10, 2024

From: dpa

According to police, Cheptegei's ex-boyfriend, a Kenyan citizen, doused her with petrol and set her on fire during an argument on September 1. The athlete died a few days later. Her former partner was also seriously injured during the fire attack and died of his injuries on Sunday evening in Moi Hospital in the western city of Eldoret, the hospital confirmed on Tuesday.

According to official reports, the 33-year-old was treated in Moi Hospital after the attack with burns on 80 percent of her body surface. On Thursday, the athlete died of multiple organ failure due to the burns. During the arson attack, which was partly caused by a dispute over a piece of land, the 32-year-old perpetrator was also caught in the flames and suffered burns on 41 percent of his body surface. According to the hospital, he died of lung failure.

Cheptegei finished 44th in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympic Games. Before that, the athlete finished 2023th at the 14 World Championships in Budapest and won a gold medal at the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai.