Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has passed away at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County in Kenya.
A spokesperson at the hospital, Dr. Owen Menach, confirmed Cheptegei’s death, stating that the long-distance runner died early on Thursday morning after she succumbed to her injuries from Sunday’s fire attack.
Dr. Menach, MTRH Acting CEO and Director of Clinical Services and Surgery, told The Nation Newspaper that Cheptegei, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), passed away at 5 am (CET) from what he described as a full organ failure.
“It is sad that we lost the patient early this morning after all her organs failed at about 5 am while we were doing our best to save her life,” Dr Menach said.
A family member of the Cheptegei’s, Dr. Tony Sabila, also confirmed the Ugandan athlete’s death.
“It is true that we lost our sister this morning although the doctors tried to save her life and I was there personally,” said Dr Sabila.
“The patient had 80 per cent burns and was incubated and fully sedated due to the extent of the burns and is on full support in terms of blood, medication and breathing through a ventilator.”
Cheptegei, who finished in 44th position at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was assaulted in her home in the western Trans Nzoia County on Sunday.
The 33-year-old Cheptegei sustained extensive burns across her entire body from exposed flames.
At the medical facility, her father, Joseph Cheptegei, informed reporters that he had lost a daughter who was “very supportive”. He expressed his desire for justice to be served.
“As it is now, the criminal who harmed my daughter is a murderer and I am yet to see what the security officials are doing,” the father said. “He is still free and might even flee.”
The attack on Rebecca Cheptegei occurred two years after Kenyan-born Bahraini runner Damaris Muthee Mutua was found strangled in Iten, a globally renowned running centre situated in the western Rift Valley region of the country.
Her demise followed the killing of record-setting athlete Agnes Tirop, aged 25, who was found fatally stabbed at her Iten residence in 2021.
Tirop‘s estranged spouse, Emmanuel Ibrahim Rotich, faced trial for her murder in 2023. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his court proceedings are still ongoing.
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