Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being set on hearth by former companion, was buried at her ancestral dwelling.
Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being doused in petrol and set on hearth by her former companion, has been buried with full army honours at her ancestral dwelling in Uganda’s northeast.
The 33-year-old, who debuted this summer season within the ladies’s marathon on the Paris Olympics, died of extreme burns final week after being attacked by Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Marangach – an assault that prompted a world outpouring of tributes.
A whole bunch of residents, kinfolk, officers and fellow Olympians from Uganda and Kenya paid their respects to Cheptegei on Saturday in Bukwo village close to Uganda’s border with Kenya. Her physique was lowered into her grave with full army honours, together with a gun salute by the Ugandan army, during which she served.
“She embodied the admirable spirit of resilience, selflessness, generosity and onerous work, which labored collectively to catapult her to worldwide glory,” stated Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s sports activities minister. Her loss of life, he stated, marked “a tragic finish to a blossoming life”.
Ugandan Sports activities Minister Peter Ogwang condemned the “barbaric and cowardly” assault that had taken her life and stated the federal government would give roughly $13,000 to every of Cheptegei’s youngsters.
‘Bury me in Uganda’
Cheptegei lived within the highlands of western Kenya, an space well-liked with worldwide runners for its high-altitude coaching amenities. She got here forty fourth within the marathon on the Paris Olympics on August 11 – her remaining race.
Three weeks later, Marangach attacked Cheptegei on September 1 as she returned from church along with her two daughters and youthful sister within the village of Kinyoro.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, instructed the Reuters information company his daughter had approached police at the very least 3 times to file complaints in opposition to Marangach, who died a few days after Cheptegei from burns sustained throughout the assault.
She suffered burns to 80 p.c of her physique and succumbed to her accidents 4 days later.
“I don’t suppose I’m going to make it,” her father stated she instructed him whereas being handled in hospital. “If I die, simply bury me at dwelling in Uganda.”
Cheptegei’s estranged husband, Simon Ayeko, with whom she had two daughters, stated the household was “extraordinarily saddened”.
“As a father, it has been very tough,” he instructed the AFP information company, including that he had not been capable of break the information to their youngsters. “Slowly, we’ll inform them the reality.”
Cheptegei’s loss of life sparked anger over the excessive ranges of violence in opposition to ladies in Kenya, significantly within the athletics group. The marathoner was the third elite runner to die allegedly by the hands of a romantic companion since 2021.
One in three Kenyan women and girls aged 15 to 49 have suffered bodily violence, based on authorities information from 2022.
Rights teams stated feminine athletes in Kenya are at a excessive danger of exploitation and violence by males drawn to their prize cash, which far exceeds native incomes.
Cheptegei’s sporting successes embody successful the 2021 World Mountain and Path Operating Championships in Thailand and a 12 months later incomes first place within the Padova Marathon in Italy and setting a nationwide document for the marathon.
The athlete was a “heroine”, native presidential consultant Bessie Modest Ajilong instructed AFP.
“As leaders, we noticed Cheptegei as an inspiration.”
