Athletics | Rebecca Cheptegei was brutally killed – now the violence against sportswomen is talking in Kenya

Olympic runnerdied at the age of 33 Rebecca Cheptegei died in a cruel way from serious burns caused by his ex-spouse at the beginning of September.

The runner’s fate shocked the world, but he is not the only top runner to have died under similar circumstances. Within three years, three women who ran races at a high level have died in Kenya. The suspect in all of their deaths is a former partner.

Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the Paris marathon in August, died in a very cruel and painful way. The ex-husband broke into the runner’s house with a fuel canister.

He lied to his ex-spouse with fuel after an argument and set her on fire. 80 percent of the marathoner’s skin was burned and he later died of his injuries in the hospital. The perpetrator also later died of burns. According to Kenyan media, one of Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the events at her mother’s home.

Similar ones there have been other events in Kenya in recent years. 25 year old runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death from her home in Iten in October 2021. Tirop won the women’s 10,000m World Championship bronze in 2017 and 2019. The death came just five weeks after she set a world record in the 10,000m road race.

A few months after Tirop’s death, the Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Mutua was suffocated with a pillow in the same city. At the time of his death, Mutua was 28 years old, a promising runner. He had finished third in the half marathon in Angola moments before. Mu left behind a 6-year-old son.

Mutua’s father accused the Kenyan government and police of failing to prevent his daughter’s death. The family had previously informed the police about the domestic violence they had experienced, but nothing had been done about the situation.

To women violence against is not a new phenomenon in the country. The violence experienced by elite athletes speaks of the fight against old attitudes.

Marathoner Joan Chelimo works in the Tirop’s Angels organization. An organization founded by athletes to combat violence against women organizes running events, for example. The organization is named after Agnes Tirop.

Chelimo tells CNN’s in an interview, that the background of violence against women in the region is ideologies related to old-fashioned gender roles. International female athletes are often targeted for their financial success. They also don’t fit the traditional mold.

“They go against the traditional norms, where a woman is only in the kitchen and takes care of the children,” says Chelimo.

“Today’s female athletes have traveled, they know their rights and want to come forward and speak. They become more independent, financially independent, and when they want to leave, they can do it.”