International Courant
Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being set on hearth by her ex-partner, was buried in her childhood house.
Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being doused with petrol and set on hearth by her former associate, has been buried with army honours at her household house in northeastern Uganda.
The 33-year-old, who made her debut within the girls’s marathon on the Paris Olympics this summer season, died final week from extreme burns after being attacked by Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Marangach, prompting a flood of tributes around the globe.
A whole bunch of residents, members of the family, officers and fellow Olympians from Uganda and Kenya paid their respects to Cheptegei on Saturday within the village of Bukwo, close to Uganda’s border with Kenya. Her physique was lowered into her grave with full army honors, together with a gun salute by the Ugandan army, the place she served.
Cheptegei in motion through the girls’s marathon on the Paris Olympics (File: Dylan Martinez/Reuters)
“She embodied the admirable spirit of resilience, selflessness, generosity and onerous work that mixed to catapult her to worldwide glory,” stated Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s sports activities minister. Her demise, he stated, marked “a tragic finish to a flourishing life.”
Ugandan Sports activities Minister Peter Ogwang condemned the “barbaric and cowardly” assault that claimed her life and stated the federal government would give about $13,000 to every of Cheptegei’s kids.
‘Bury me in Uganda’
Cheptegei lived within the highlands of western Kenya, an space widespread with worldwide runners for its high-altitude coaching amenities. She completed forty fourth within the marathon on the Paris Olympics on August 11 – her final race.
Three weeks later, on September 1, Marangach attacked Cheptegei as she returned from church within the village of Kinyoro together with her two daughters and youthful sister.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, advised Reuters information company that his daughter had gone to police a minimum of thrice to file a criticism towards Marangach, who died a couple of days after Cheptegei from burns he suffered within the assault.
She suffered burns over 80 % of her physique and died from her accidents 4 days later.
“I do not suppose I’ll make it,” her father stated as she was being handled in hospital. “If I die, bury me again house in Uganda.”
Agnes Cheptegei mourns beside the coffin of her Olympian daughter (Edwin Waita/Reuters)
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 advised AFP information company, including that he had not been in a position to inform the information to their kids. “Slowly we’ll inform them the reality.”
Cheptegei’s demise sparked anger over excessive ranges of violence towards girls in Kenya, notably within the athletics neighborhood. The marathoner was the third elite runner to reportedly die by the hands of a romantic associate since 2021.
In keeping with authorities knowledge from 2022, one in three Kenyan women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have skilled bodily violence.
Human rights teams say feminine athletes in Kenya are at excessive threat of exploitation and violence by males who depend on their prize cash, which far exceeds native revenue.
Cheptegei’s sporting successes embody profitable the 2021 World Mountain and Path Working Championships in Thailand and a yr later taking first place on the Padua Marathon in Italy. He additionally set a nationwide file within the marathon.
The athlete was a “heroine”, native presidential consultant Bessie Modest Ajilong advised AFP.
“As leaders, we noticed Cheptegei as an inspiration.”
Murdered Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei buried with full army honors | Athletics Information
Africa Area Information ,Subsequent Massive Factor in Public Knowledg
