Paris will establish a sports complex in honour of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, announced Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, after the athlete was burnt to death by her boyfriend.
The marathon runner, who participated in the Paris Games last month, passed away on Thursday (September 5), four days after being doused in gasoline and set ablaze by her lover in Kenya.
The 33-year-old athlete, who placed 44th in her first Olympic Games, was attacked on Sunday and more than 75% of her body was burned, according to media from Kenya and Uganda.
Mayor Hidalgo told reporters: “She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom, and it was in all likelihood her beauty, strength and freedom which were intolerable for the person who committed this murder.”
She added: “Paris will not forget her. We’ll dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story remains among us and helps carry the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Since October 2021, Cheptegei is the third well-known athlete to pass away in Kenya. Uganda’s Athletes Commission Chair Ganzi Semu Mugula remarked: “This is a critical moment— not just to mourn the loss of a remarkable Olympian, but to commit ourselves to creating a society that respects and protects the dignity of every individual.”
In a distant village close to the Kenyan border, thousands of mourners in Uganda attended a military funeral in honour of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after her partner set her on fire.
According to military spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye, Cheptegei was a sergeant in the Ugandan army and deserved a “gun salute that befits her rank”. This explains why military officers were heavily involved in the funeral. Moreover, athletes, family members, and others gave their eulogies in front of thousands in a sports field in the Bukwo district.
Cause of her death
On September 3, Dickson Ndiema attacked her at her home in Trans-Nzoia County, western Kenya, dousing her in gasoline, causing 80 per cent of her body to be burned. The couple fought over a plot of land the athlete had purchased in Kenya, according to a report submitted by the local chief.
The horrifying gasoline attack startled many people and bolstered concerns for the safety of female runners who are being exploited and abused in the East African nation.
Following a public march by dozens of campaigners demanding a stop to physical abuse against female athletes in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, Cheptegei’s body was returned to Uganda in a solemn procession.
Cheptegei is the fourth athlete in Kenya to have died at the hands of her partner in a troubling trend of violence against women in recent years. This year, there have been multiple marches in response to Kenya’s high incidence of violence against women.
In a tragic turn of events, Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who recently competed in the Paris Olympics, is fighting for her life after suffering severe burns in an alleged domestic dispute.
The incident, which took place on Sunday afternoon at her home in Kenya’s Trans Nzoia County, has left over 75% of her body burned, according to local media reports.
Domestic dispute leads to fire
According to a report published by Reuters, Cheptegei, 33, is currently in critical condition at a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. The attack, described as a domestic dispute by police, also resulted in injuries to her Kenyan partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who is believed to have doused her with petrol before the fire broke out.
Police commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom stated that Marangach was also burnt in the incident. He reportedly broke into Cheptegei’s home while she was at church, leading to the violent confrontation.
Cheptegei’s parents are en route from Uganda to be by her side. The athlete, who finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Olympics, had purchased a home and land in Kenya to utilize the area’s renowned training facilities.
This incident is a stark reminder of the ongoing issue of domestic violence, particularly within the Kenyan athletic community.
In 2021, Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home, a case that sparked national outrage and led to the establishment of Tirop’s Angels, a foundation aimed at combating gender-based violence.
Domestic violence among women in sports
According to a 2023 UNESCO report, a staggering 736 million women worldwide have faced the harrowing experience of physical or sexual violence in their lives. This grim statistic casts a long shadow over the world of sports, where the risk of violence against women and girls is unacceptably high.
The playing field is far from level. Nearly 21% of professional women athletes have endured the trauma of sexual abuse as children in sport, a figure that is almost double that of their male counterparts. The specter of violence looms large, with police reports of domestic violence spiking during major sporting events like the World Cup, in some communities by more than a third.
The digital arena is no safer. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, women athletes were the targets of 87% of all abusive Twitter posts. From the grassroots to the professional leagues, women and girls in sports—be they athletes, coaches, reporters, therapists, referees, or fans—are subjected to a relentless barrage of violence and abuse.
In the face of this crisis, sports organizations must rise to the challenge. They must provide robust support services for survivors, ensuring access to confidential reporting mechanisms that offer protection from retaliation. These measures are not just about mitigating the risk of violence and abuse; they are about rebuilding trust by creating a culture where perpetrators are held accountable and removed from positions of power.
Together, the landscape of sports can be transformed, turning it into a sanctuary where women and girls can thrive, free from the fear of violence.
As the community rallies around Cheptegei during this difficult time, the tragic event serves as a call to action to address the pervasive issue of domestic assault and to support initiatives like Tirop’s Angels in their efforts to provide support and protection for victims.
Joshua Cheptegi, the reigning world champion and world record holder for the 10,000 metres, is now the Olympic champion, too, winning the race in Paris in record time.
The 27-year Ugandan ran the 10,000 metres in 26:43.14 minutes in a new Olympic record, knocking 18 seconds off the previous record set by the Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele at the 2008 Beijing Games
The race at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday (August 2) was the fastest 10,000-metre run in Olympic history.
The field was unprecedentedly quick — the first 13 finishers all broke the previous Olympic record of 27:01.17 seconds as advances in shoe and track technology continued to accelerate race times.
Cheptegei, who won the 10,000-metre silver and 5,000-metre gold inTokyo, finished first with a devastating burst of speed in the last 600 metres.
“I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo 2020, I was disappointed. I just wanted to win the 10,000 metres,” Cheptegei said after the race.
🥇 5,000 metres, Tokyo 2020
🥈 10,000 metres, Tokyo 2020
🥇 10,000 metres, Paris 2024
Joshua Cheptegei has now won more Olympic medals than any other Ugandan athlete in history 🇺🇬 pic.twitter.com/6v5WGewKsm
Cheptegei, world champion in 2019, 2022 and 2023, was surprisingly beaten to the gold by the Ethiopian Selemon Barega in Tokyo and was desperate for revenge.
Now, with the Olympic gold under his belt, the world champion and world record holder is going out a winner.
This his last race on the track, he said; he will be going next for something longer: the marathon.
Cheptegei, world champion in 2019, 2022 and 2023, was surprisingly beaten to the gold by Ethiopian Selemon Barega in Tokyo and was desperate for revenge.
Barega, the Tokyo gold medal winner, didn’t reach the podium in Paris, finishing seventh in the race with a time of 26:44.48.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi took the silver medal, just 0.3 seconds behind Cheptegei, after he and his Ethiopian teammates held the lead for much of the race.
“We had a team strategy to push the pace and we showed great teamwork. I am very sad we did not achieve the gold medal as a team,” Aregawi said.
But he was thrilled he took the silver after finishing fourth in Tokyo. “I was running for my country and I want to dedicate this silver medal to my country,” he said.
Grant Fisher of the United States took the bronze medal, 0.02 seconds behind Aregawi.
“It means so much. You’ve got to be tough to win a medal. I made it today and it feels incredible,” Grant said after the race.
“The biggest stadium I’ve ever been in was Tokyo and that one was dead silent,” he added, referring to the Games in 2021, when pandemic restrictions did not allow for typical crowds.
“This was so, so different. From the first lap, the crowd was screaming. I couldn’t hear anything the entire race. The 10,000m doesn’t get a lot of love sometimes, but that crowd made it feel like we were the best show in town. It was super fun. It was a fast, fast pace. I felt like I was in a good position the whole way and just gave it everything with a lap to go.”
A pack of 13 athletes ran the last two-thirds of the race together, and remarkably, all of them finished in under 27 minutes.
Cheptegei stayed behind the leaders for much of the race but accelerated, coming around the final bend on the penultimate lap, and did not let up.
“My collection for this run is really complete. I’m so excited,” he told reporters.
“Barely 16 years ago when I was watching the great Kenenisa Bekele win in Beijing, it was something that grew in my heart.
“I said, ‘one day I want to be Olympic champion’. It is the most special day. I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo I was so disappointed. I just wanted to win the 10,000 metres.”
Olympic gold-medallist Cheptegei shares his thoughts about marathon debut
Joshua Cheptegei’s debut on the marathon scene garnered much attention back in November, as the Ugandan long-distance runner has collected many noteworthy accolades in his career.
To date, Cheptegei holds the world records for both the 10,000 and 5000 meters, as well as the fastest time ever recorded for the 15 kilometers. In the previous edition of the Olympics in Tokyo, Cheptegei also clinched the gold medal in the 5,000 m event and the silver medal in the 10,000 m event.
After working hard, training tirelessly, and rising to the top of his generation, Cheptegei has finally made his name known internationally.
And so when news of his participation in the upcoming Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso on December 3 hit the web, it caused quite a stir. Many were curious as to how he would fare in the marathon, considering he’s never participated in one before, and if he would be able to apply his skills in the 42.2-kilometer-long course and clinch another win.
A few days before the marathon, Cheptegei said via Olympics.com that he’s not looking at running fast times because it’s still a new distance for him and that he’s still in the process of learning and training.
He continued by saying that the track has taught him to be patient in pursuing his objectives and that he plans to apply this same patience to the marathon. He expressed his desire to tackle the matter with a great deal of “respect” and from a fresh perspective.
Cheptegei finishes 37th in the Valencia Marathon
Cheptegei didn’t reach the podium this time; he finished the race with a time of 2:08:59 and placed 37th overall. And although this was the case, there were moments in the race where Cheptegei showed potential. Passing through the 10-km mark, Cheptegei emerged as one of the leaders in the race, alongside Ethiopian runners Sisay Lemma and Kenenisa Bekele. He was also one of the first seven participants to get through the halfway mark. At 1:08, however, Cheptegei started to lag behind the pack, along with Kandie and Mutiso.
Sisay Lemma finished the course within 2:01:48, breaking Kelvin Kiptum’s previous course record by five seconds.
Cheptegei finished the marathon around seven minutes later, at 2:08:59.
Following the race, Cheptegei took to social media to share his thoughts on his first marathon, saying he was proud to have completed the race and thanking his supporters and the organisers for their faith in him.
🎙 “Marathon is a journey a new chapter that I opened today. I am proud that I finished, despite that the result didn’t match up with what we had trained for. I have had disappointment before and it always made me come back stronger, it is the most powerful lesson in life. More… pic.twitter.com/2Yice1F7MO
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the London Marathon in a time that set a world record just for women– two hours, sixteen minutes, and sixteen seconds.
Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, and world record holder Tigst Assefa all broke the previous women’s only record of 2:17:01, set by Mary Keitany in 2017.
With three of the four fastest women in history racing, the women’s field was regarded as one of the greatest races ever put together. The athletes remained on course to set a record for the women’s only marathon run, meaning that no male competitors were present on the route.
Jepchirchir – grateful
During the duration of the race, Alemu, Assefa, Jepkosgei, and Jepchirchir were the only ones remaining as groups of athletes eventually decreased. They remained together until the final few hundred meters, when Jepchirchir ran for the finish line, enabling the 30-year-old Kenyan to defeat Assefa and win in London for the first time.
Jepchirchir admitted after her win: “I am feeling grateful. I am so happy for the victory. I was not expecting to run a world record – I knew it might be beat but I did not expect it to be me.”
“I knew the history and the ladies were strong. I was working extra hard. My time was lower but I’ve come good today and set a PB… I am so happy to qualify for the Olympics and I feel grateful. I’m happy to be at Paris and my prayer is to be there and run well to defend my title. I know it won’t be easy but I’ll try my best,” she added.
