Rebecca Cheptegei died tragically after a heated argument with her ex-boyfriend. Statements describing what transpired have been posted online. Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, died after being taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. The Ugandan marathon runner’s admission came after a horrific attack by her former partner.
Dr. Owen Menach, the acting CEO of MTRH and Director of Clinical Services and Surgery, reported that Cheptegei died at 5 a.m. in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from what he described as full organ failure. He also stated that he and other medical professionals are devastated by the unfortunate news, adding, “[We] were doing our best to save her life.” Dr. Tony Sabila, a family member, confirmed Cheptegei’s death to Nation Sport this morning, September 5.
“It is true that we lost our sister this morning although the doctors tried to save her life and I was there personally,” stated Sabila. Cheptegei had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) after sustaining serious burns from open flames that covered her entire body. Nation Sport reported that her burns covered 80 percent of her body. Because of the severity of the burns, Cheptegei was completely sedated and intubated. She was also on full life support for blood, fluids, and medicines and required a ventilator to breathe.
Before she died, the Kenyan government announced plans to take Cheptegei to Nairobi via airlift for specialized care. They announced it on September 4. Peter Tum, Principal Secretary for Sports, revealed that the transportation plan was confirmed following discussions with Uganda’s Sports Minister, Peter Ogwang. However, Cheptegei died before they could complete the scheme.
Athletics Kenya’s President and Vice-President of World Athletics, Jack Tuwei, spoke out on the tragedy and condemned what occurred. His declaration also indicated that Cheptegei had been harmed by her ex-boyfriend during a property dispute. According to the BBC, the ex lit her on fire after dousing her with fuel. According to north-west Kenyan authorities, this occurred on Sunday, September 1, while Cheptegei, who competed in the Paris Olympics, was returning home from church.
“As a federation, we want to condemn this in the strongest possible terms because it is not the way we should live,” Tuwei stated at the end of his statement. Donald Rukare, a Ugandan lawyer and academic, took to X to release his own statement after the athlete’s death. He stated, “We have learned of the tragic death of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei OLY after a terrible attack by her lover. May her beautiful soul rest in peace, and we strongly oppose violence against women.
The rest of his remarks focused on how pointless and horrible the attack was. He concluded by stating that, while Cheptegei’s life has ended, her legacy will continue on. Rukare had tweeted about Cheptegei’s ex-boyfriend’s attack on September 3. He requested the people to pray for her full recovery while she remained in the hospital.
Rukare’s family member, Ann, has also confirmed the athlete’s death, sharing a message about the tragedy on behalf of the late running star’s family.Ann said in a since-deleted Instagram Stories post earlier today (September 5): “It has been crazy the last couple of days; we beg for your privacy as we work through this. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
We will provide you with additional details as time goes on. “God bless you.Ann then shared another message in response to people who have expressed interest in contributing to Cheptegei’s hospital costs and burial expenses. She advised anybody who are interested in doing so to DM the account for more participation. RIP, darling Cheptegei. We offer our prayers to her bereaved loved ones.