Rebecca Cheptegei met a tragic demise following a heated conflict with her former boyfriend. Statements explaining what happened have been shared online.
Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, tragically passed away after she was admitted to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. The Ugandan marathon runner’s admittance followed a vicious attack by her former boyfriend.
Rebecca Cheptegei competing with other runners during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 in Budapest, Hungary on August 26, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
Dr. Owen Menach — the acting CEO of MTRH and Director of Clinical Services and Surgery — confirmed that Cheptegei died at 5 a.m. in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from what he dubbed full organ failure.
He also emphasized how saddened he and other medical professionals are by the tragic news, adding, “[We] were doing our best to save her life.”
Cheptegei’s family member, Dr. Tony Sabila, confirmed the date of her passing as this morning, September 5, while speaking to Nation Sport.
“It is true that we lost our sister this morning although the doctors tried to save her life and I was there personally,” divulged Dr. Sabila.
Cheptegei had been in the ICU as a result of suffering severe burns from open flames that overtook her whole body. Nation Sport revealed that her burns covered 80% of her body.
Due to the extent of the burns, Cheptegei was fully sedated and intubated. She was also on full life support for blood, fluids, and medication, and had to use a ventilator for breathing.
Before she lost her life, the Kenyan government announced their plan to transport Cheptegei to Nairobi, via an airlift, for specialized treatment. They announced this on September 4.
Principal Secretary for Sports, Peter Tum, divulged that the transportation plan had been confirmed after discussions were held with Peter Ogwang, who is the Sports Minister of Uganda. However, Cheptegei died before they could see the plan through.
Athletics Kenya President and Vice-President of World Athletics, Jack Tuwei, weighed in on the tragedy and condemned what happened.
His statement also revealed that Cheptegei had been harmed by her former boyfriend over a property dispute. BBC reported that the ex set her alight after dousing her with petrol. According to north-west Kenyan authorities, this happened on Sunday, September 1, while Cheptegei, who competed in the Paris Olympics, was on her way home from church.
Rebecca Cheptegei competing with other athletes in the Women’s Marathon during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 in Budapest, Hungary on August 26, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
“As a federation, we want to condemn this in the strongest possible terms because this is not the way we should live,” noted Tuwei at the end of his message.
Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei giving a press brief following the death of world marathon record-holder Kelvin Kiptum in Nairobi, Kenya on February 12, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
Ugandan lawyer and professor Donald Rukare took to X to pen his own statement addressing the athlete’s death.
He expressed, “We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei OLY following a vicious attack by her boyfriend. May her gentle soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women.”
The rest of his message went on to discuss how senseless and cowardly the attack was. He concluded by saying that although Cheptegei’s life has been lost, her legacy will live on.
Rukare had previously shared a tweet about Cheptegei’s ex-boyfriend’s attack on September 3. At the time, he encouraged the public to pray and hope that she would make a full recovery while she was in the hospital.
Joining Rukare in confirming the athlete’s passing is her family member, Ann, who shared a message about the tragedy on behalf of the late running star’s family.
Ann Cheptegei’s statement about Rebecca Cheptegei’s passing, made on behalf of the Cheptegei family, posted on September 5, 2024 | Source: Instagram/rebeccacheptegei
Via a since-deleted Instagram Stories post made earlier today (September 5), Ann stated, “It has been hectic the last couple of days, we ask for your privacy as we get through this. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. We will serve you with more information as time goes by. God bless you.”
Ann Cheptegei’s statement. | Source: Instagram/rebeccacheptegei
Ann then shared another post addressing those who have reached out wanting to contribute toward Cheptegei’s hospital bills and funeral expenses.
She said that people who are interested in doing so should DM the account for further engagement. RIP, dear Cheptegei. We send our prayers to her grieving loved ones
