Femicide: Female athletes who were gruesomely murdered by their partners

Femicide, which refers to the killing of women or girls by their intimate partners or former partners, has been rampant in recent years.

Cases of women being attacked and sometimes murdered by their partners have been rife in Ghana too, with some continuously making the headlines recently.

In April, the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) declared one Jacob Apandango wanted for butchering his wife and two-month-old baby to death in Ashaiman.

In June, the Police in Konongo also arrested a man later identified as Samuel Fiaga for slashing the throat of his wife, while earlier in September a similar incident occurred in Adaklu, where a man was alleged to have murdered his wife and left her lifeless body in the farm.

The sports terrain has not been exempted from these gruesome incidents of femicides, with Kenya alone recording three high-profile incidents in the last few years.

Below, we take a look at some female athletes whose burgeoning careers were cut short after they were murdered by their partners.

Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by ex-boyfriend

The most recent case is that of Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being doused in petrol and burned by her former boyfriend Dickson Ndiema.

Cheptegei recently competed at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and was one of Africa’s finest female long-distance athletes.

The marathon runner was admitted to the hospital after she suffered severe burns from the attack and later died. Her attacker, Ndiema, also died a few days later from burns he sustained during his attack on the Ugandan athlete.

Agnes Tirop allegedly stabbed to death by her husband

In 2021, Kenyan world record holder Agnes Tirop was found dead in her home after being stabbed in the stomach.

The two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medallist was only 25 when she was killed, with her husband, who was a suspect, fleeing afterwards.

Ibrahim Rotich, her husband, was later taken into custody and is currently standing trial.

Damaris Mutua allegedly strangled to death by estranged husband

Kenyan-Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee Mutua was also murdered in April 2022, with an autopsy revealing that she died through strangulation.

The 28-year-old previously won bronze at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010 and was a half-marathon beast.

The Kenyan Police later launched a manhunt for Mutua's Ethiopian boyfriend, who was linked with her death. Mutua was survived by a six-year-old son.

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