The news of 2024 Paris Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei fighting for her life in the hospital has highlighted a disturbing trend of increasing domestic violence against female athletes, some of which have tragically led to death.
Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the female marathon event in Paris, was involved in a violent altercation with her boyfriend at her home in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County. The situation escalated when her boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her on fire. Neighbors intervened and rushed both victims to Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to Trans Nzoia County’s police commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom, the suspect also sustained severe burns from the fire. Cheptegei, a 33-year-old athlete celebrated for her past achievements, including winning gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022, now faces a grave situation.
This incident underscores the severe challenges female athletes face as they juggle demanding careers with social expectations and family responsibilities. It also reflects the broader issue of violence against women, as highlighted by a survey from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), which reported that 34% of women have experienced abuse since the age of 15.
The tragic case of Kenyan runner Damaris Mutua, who was found strangled in her Iten home with a pillow over her face in 2022, further illustrates the severe risks female athletes can face. Mutua, a decorated athlete who won bronze at the 1,000-meter inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and achieved a career-best time in Morocco in 2018, had switched to compete for Bahrain but continued to train in Kapsabet.
In early 2022, she secured second place at the Arab Cross Country Championship in Bahrain and third place at the Luanda Half Marathon in April.
Celebrated as a rising star, the country faced a significant loss with the untimely death of Mutua, whose athletic career was just beginning to flourish. Her passing occurred only six months after the murder of two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medalist Agnes Tirop, who was found stabbed in the same town.
Tirop, who achieved notable success both as a junior and senior athlete, had secured 5,000m bronze at the World Championships in 2012 and 2014, as well as winning the World Cross Country Championships in 2015. Her achievements continued with a 10,000m bronze at the World Athletics Championships in 2019. Just a month before her death, she set a new women’s 10km road-race record in Germany with a time of 30 minutes and one second.
In both tragedies, the athletes’ partners have been identified by law enforcement as the primary suspects.
