Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died after being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya, according to Uganda’s Olympic Committee chief on Thursday.

“We have learned of the tragic passing of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a brutal attack by her boyfriend,” Donald Rukare announced in a post on X.

Cheptegei, 33, had suffered burns covering 80 percent of her body, the acting head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Rift Valley, informed reporters on Tuesday.

“All her organs failed last night,” a medic at the hospital told AFP on Thursday.

Police reported that a man identified as Dickson Ndiema Marangach, Cheptegei’s partner, allegedly doused her in petrol and set her on fire during an attack on Sunday at her home in Endebess, located in the western county of Trans-Nzoia. The attack came just weeks after Cheptegei competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th.

Kenyan media revealed that one of Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the assault. “He kicked me as I tried to rescue my mother,” The Standard reported her as saying.

“I immediately cried out for help, and a neighbor attempted to put out the flames with water, but it was too late,” the unnamed girl added.

Marangach was also injured in the incident, suffering burns to 30 percent of his body.

This incident echoes the murder of another Kenyan-born athlete, Damaris Mutua, who was found dead in Iten, a famous running hub, two years earlier. Additionally, in 2021, 25-year-old record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten, with her estranged husband currently on trial for her murder, which he denies