Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after she was doused with petrol and set on fire by an ex-boyfriend. The 33-year-old marathon runner from Uganda, who competed in the Paris Olympics, suffered severe burns after Sunday's attack.

Authorities in northwestern Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters, KosovaPress reported.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said he had lost a "very supportive" daughter.

A report filed by a local administrator claimed that the athlete and her ex-partner had been fighting over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is underway.

Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a plot of land in Trans Nzoia County and built a house to be close to elite athletics training centers in Kenya.

Attacks on women have become a major concern in Kenya. In 2022, at least 34% of women said they had experienced physical violence, according to a national survey.

"This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which has increasingly affected even elite sports," said Kenya's Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen.

Various organizations within the UN have expressed their views on this issue.

"We join the UN Population Fund and UN Women in strongly condemning the violent killing of Cheptegei," said the spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric.