Rebecca Cheptegei Ugandan long distance runner Date of Birth: 22.02.1991 Country: Uganda

1. Early Life and Career
2. Breakthrough and International Success
3. Later Career and National Championships
4. Personal Life and Death

Early Life and Career

Ugandan long-distance runner Cheptegei began competing in 2010. She placed 15th in the women's 20 kilometers race at the 38th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. In May, Cheptegei won the 1500 meters race at the Mûnchen Pfingstmeeting in Germany, then finished 19th in the 800 meters at the Rehlingen Pfingstsportfest two days later. She also competed in the 1500 meters at the Sparkassen-Gala in Regensburg, Germany, placing 15th.

Breakthrough and International Success

In 2011, Cheptegei finished 2nd in the Madrid Half Marathon and 3rd in the Spanish 10,000 meters road running championships in Camargo. Cheptegei also won the 1500 meters race at the CISM World Military Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Later Career and National Championships

Cheptegei continued to compete throughout the 2010s and early 2020s. She won the 10,000 meters race at the 2013 Cross Internacional Ciutat de Granollers in Spain and the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She also represented Uganda in the women's marathon at the 2022 African Athletics Championships in Mauritius.

Personal Life and Death

Cheptegei was born in Uganda on February 22, 1991. She later moved to Kenya to pursue her running career. On September 1, 2024, she was attacked and her house was set on fire in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. She sustained 80% burns and was hospitalized in critical condition. Police reported that her ex-boyfriend had doused her with gasoline and set her alight following an argument. The assailant was also hospitalized with injuries sustained during the attack. She died from multiple organ failure resulting from the burns on September 5, at the age of 33.