Ugandan Olympic Marathoner’s Boyfriend Sets Her on Fire... Eventually Dies

Death Occurs While Receiving Treatment for 30% Full-Body Burns

A man who set fire to Ugandan female marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei (33), causing her death, also died while receiving treatment for severe burns.

Ugandan track and field athlete Rebecca Cheptegei (33) participating in the women's marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News

According to a report by the local daily The Nation on the 10th (local time), Dickson Undiema, who was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Moi Hospital in Eldoret City, western Kenya, with burns covering 30% of his body, died at around 6:30 p.m. the previous day due to respiratory failure.

Undiema set fire to Cheptegei by pouring gasoline on her at her home in Kinyoro, Trans Nzoia County, western Kenya, on the 1st. According to statements from the bereaved family, the two had recently been in conflict over land issues.

As a result, Cheptegei suffered burns over 80% of her body and died in the early morning of the 5th while receiving treatment at the hospital.

Undiema also sustained burns during the attack and had been receiving treatment at the same hospital.

Cheptegei, the Ugandan women's marathon record holder, placed 44th in the women's marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics last month.

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