Olympian and long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei died Thursday after sustaining mortal burn wounds to 80% of her body in a gasoline attack last weekend. She was 33.

Dr. Owen Menach, who is on staff at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the city of Eldoret, confirmed Cheptegei's death via multiple organ failure to the New York Times. In addition to kidney failure, which the Times reported set in at the time of Cheptegei's initial hospitalization, she also sustained inhalation burns.

Kenyan police reported that Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete who finished in 44th place in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics in August, was doused in gasoline and set on fire by her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, on Sunday afternoon. Authorities also noted that the couple had been embroiled in an argument over an unknown matter before the attack took place. Cheptegei's father, Joseph Cheptegei, told reporters the dispute had stemmed from a property disagreement, per NBC.

Related

Cheptegei lived in an area of........

© Salon