The gruesome death of an Olympic runner from Uganda is the latest incident in the wake of violence against female athletes in Kenya

The gruesome death of Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei after she was doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend has once again brought Kenya's harrowing history of domestic violence against female athletes into the spotlight.

Her murder follows the deaths of at least two other prominent female runners as a result of domestic violence over the past three years in a region that has produced dozens of Olympic and world champions.

What happened to Cheptegei?

Cheptegei, who was from Uganda, died on Thursday at the age of 33. Police said Cheptegei's boyfriend poured a canister of petrol on her and set her on fire during an argument on Sunday. She suffered burns to 80% of her body and died four days later in a hospital in the city of Eldoret.

The friend also suffered burns in the attack and is being treated at the same hospital. No charges have been filed against him so far.

Cheptegei competed in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month ago, finishing 44th. She lived in the famous high-altitude training region of western Kenya, which attracts the best long-distance runners from around the world, and had recently built a house there to be close to the training centers.

Agnes Tirop

The brutal murder of Kenyan star runner Tirop in the same region in 2021 sparked a storm of indignation among fellow athletes and prompted the East African country's athletics federations to recognize the scourge of domestic violence as a major problem.

Tirop was one of Kenya's brightest talents when she was stabbed to death in her home in Iten, the other world-famous training town for long-distance runners in Kenya (besides Eldoret). Her husband, who was on the run, was arrested days after the killing and charged with murder. His trial is still ongoing.

Like Cheptegei, 25-year-old Tirop had just competed in an Olympic Games – the 2021 Tokyo Games – and set a new world record in the 10-kilometer road race at another competition a month before her death. Her body was found with stab wounds to her stomach and neck, and blunt trauma injuries to her head.

In the weeks following Tirop's death, current and former athletes spoke out about what they say is a long-standing problem of domestic violence against female athletes in the region. Some marched through the streets of Iten to demand better protection for female athletes and tougher laws against abusers.

Other Kenyan athletes, such as former African steeplechase champion Ruth Bosibori and marathon runner Joan Chelimo, said Tirop's killing had encouraged them to speak out about their own abusive relationships.

Both said they escaped violent partners who made them fear for their lives.

Damaris Muthee

Just six months after Tirop, another runner was killed. Kenyan-born Muthee, who was competing for Bahrain, was found strangled and dead in a house in Iten. Her decomposing body had been there for days before it was found, authorities said at the time.

An Ethiopian runner she was in a relationship with was charged with murder. Muthee, 28, had a young child from another relationship.

The cases of domestic violence in Kenya's running community contrast with the shockingly high rates of violence against women in the country, which have sparked protest marches in cities and towns this year.

Activists say successful female athletes are particularly at risk when their partners want to control their money and assets in an impoverished region, but the women refuse and resist.

According to police, Cheptegei died in a dispute with her boyfriend over the land on which she had just built a house.

Samuel Wanjiru

One of Kenya's best male athletes also died in a family dispute in 2011, authorities said. Wanjiru was 24 at the time and the reigning Olympic marathon champion. He fell from the balcony of his house during an argument with his wife and died.

He had been arrested a year earlier and questioned by police for allegedly threatening to kill his wife with an assault rifle. He denied the allegations.

Although Kenyan authorities determined that Wanjiru died by falling or jumping from a balcony, his family claimed he was killed.