The father of Olympic marathon champion Rebecca Cheptegei has spoken out after her death.

Cheptegei was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend during an argument at her house over the weekend; she has now succumbed to her injuries.

The 33-year-old, who finished 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics last month, suffered burns to 80 percent of her body in the brutal attack on Sunday, according to doctors.

She was admitted to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where she was pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Now, her father, Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, has spoken out following her death and paid tribute to his now deceased daughter, revealing that his family depended on her success.

The father of Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei (pictured) has spoken out about the death of his daughter

Cheptegei died after she was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend

Her father, Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, has revealed that his family is struggling to cope with his daughter’s death.

“I have lost a daughter who helped me in many ways,” he told The Star. “We have children in secondary schools and I don’t know how we are going to meet this challenge to make sure they complete their education.”

He also called on the government to speed up the investigation and ensure the perpetrator is punished.

“Since the day we lost her, the government has been slow to investigate the matter,” he added. “We have raised the matter with the police, but still nothing has been done from their side.”

Dr. Owen Menach, who oversaw Cheptegei’s treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit, issued a statement shortly after her death.

“It is sad that we lost the patient this morning after all organs failed around 5 a.m. while we were doing our best to save her life,” Menach said.

Dr. Tony Sabila, a family member, confirmed that he was at Cheptegei’s bedside at the time of her death.

“It is true that we lost our sister this morning, even though the doctors tried to save her life and I was there personally,” he said.

Cheptegei’s death was confirmed four days after she was allegedly set on fire by her former partner, whom police identified as Dickson Ndiema.

Mzee Joseph Cheptegei also called on the government to investigate the death of

Kenyan police confirmed that the runner was attacked at her home in western Trans Nzoia County

Kenyan police confirmed that the runner was attacked at her home in western Transnzoia County near the Ugandan border, where she had recently moved to be closer to Kenya’s better training facilities.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said her former partner Dickson Ndiema bought a jerrycan of petrol, poured it on her and set her on fire during an argument on Sunday.

According to the Kenyan newspaper The Nation, police discovered a five-litre jerry can, a bag and a burnt telephone at the crime scene.

A UOC press release signed by Rukare later called on law enforcement authorities to “intervene quickly and decisively to bring the perpetrator to justice.”

Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, who spoke from hospital earlier this week alongside his other daughter, Evalyne Chelagat, claimed the two had been arguing over their land in Endebes in Trans Nzoia shortly before the alleged attack.

“They were just friends and I wonder why he wanted to take away things that belong to my daughter,” Cheptegei Snr told The Star, also revealing that the father of his daughter’s two children is another man who lives in Uganda.

He further claimed that Cheptegei and Ndiema, who he said had been separated for a long time, were involved in a case being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya.

The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee described the events as a “cowardly and senseless act”.

Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) President Donald Rukare said in a post on X on Thursday: “We have learned of the sad death of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a brutal attack by her boyfriend.”

“This was a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will live on,” he added.

According to Menach, his ex-boyfriend’s alleged attacker was also admitted to the same hospital with burns covering 30 percent of his body weight.