According to CNN, Cheptegei is the third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. The country draws international runners to train in the high-altitude highlands, though athletes are then at risk of exploitation and violence at the hands of men drawn to the potential prize money, which far exceeds local incomes.
Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a support group for survivors of domestic violence in Kenya’s athletic community, said of Marangach’s death: “Justice really would have been for him to sit in jail and think about what he had done. This is not positive news whatsoever.”
Very sad news.
Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend, a Ugandan official says. pic.twitter.com/4J3gMekJTU
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 5, 2024
Only yesterday did neighbors recall how they had attempted to save Cheptegei’s life when she emerged from her home on fire and screaming for help.
Agnes Barabara, who lives adjacent to Cheptegei’s home, told the BBC: “When I came out, I saw Rebecca running towards my house on fire, shouting: help me.
“As I went to look for water and started calling out for help, her assailant appeared again and doused more petrol on her.”
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