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Ugandan athlete dies after being set on fire in attack by partner
Rebecca Cheptegei, competes at the Discovery 10km road race in Kapchorwa, Uganda, January 20, 2023

UGANDAN Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei died at a Kenyan hospital today where she was being treated after 80 per cent of her body was burned in an attack by her former partner. She was 33.

Kenya’s sports minister said authorities must do more to combat sex-based violence.

A spokesperson at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city, Owen Menach, confirmed Cheptegei’s death today. Menach said the long-distance runner died early in the morning after her organs failed. She had been fully sedated on admission at the hospital.

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