The ex-boyfriend of Ugandan Olympian athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died from burns sustained while he tried to set her on fire.
Rebecca, a 33-year-old marathon runner, represented Uganda at the Paris Olympics 2024 and finished 44th in the marathon. She suffered burns to more than 75 percent of her body in an attack on September 1, dying four days later.
The two of them were taken to a nearby Kenyan hospital. Her former boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach attacked her when she returned home from church with her children.
Local police report say that there was a dispute between Rebecca and her ex-boyfriend over land.
Rebecca, he third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021, has shifted the country’s focus on the issue of domestic violence in the country, particularly within its running community. Rights group say that female runners are at a high risk of exploitation and violence because men are drawn to their money which is far more than local income.
Talking to Reuters, Rebecca’s father said, “This guy is dead because he killed my daughter. He has died because of his actions.”
The Paris 2024 Olympics have been full of unforgettable moments, from Yusuf Dikec’s swag to Arshad Nadeem’s historic Javelin throw. Here are the best moments of the event:
Pakistani javelin star Arshad Nadeem was competing against the world’s top Javelin players, including India’s Neeraj Chopra, who already had a lead of 9-0 against Arshad. It looked like Arshad would win a medal, but bronze or silver. But that was the day of Arshad, and his second throw was 92.97 meters, claiming the gold medal and the record for the highest throw in Olympic history.
This was an epic moment, and the Pakistani nation was cheering on this success because this was Pakistan’s first medal in 32 years after 1992.
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec became a viral sensation at the Paris Olympics. He won a silver medal in the Mixed 50-meter Pistol event, but his unique style made him stand out. Unlike other shooters who wore ear protectors and special lenses, Dikec only wore his prescription glasses and a t-shirt with pants. He even kept his non-shooting hand in his pocket while aiming and firing. His unusual approach quickly made him famous on social media and turned him into the face of many memes.
Kim Ye-ji, a South Korean Olympic sharpshooter who won a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol, became an internet sensation on Wednesday. She was recognized as the breakout style star of the Paris Games.
Wearing a black South Korean uniform zipped up to her neck, a baseball hat, and wire-rimmed shooting glasses, the 31-year-old looked very calm in videos showing her and her teammate achieving the top two shooting scores at the Olympics on Sunday.
After her win, a 27-second clip of Kim calmly aiming, shooting, and checking her record-breaking score went viral.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who faced racist attacks about her gender, won the gold medal in the women’s boxing competition. In the final of the 66 kg category, Imane beat China’s Yang Liu 5-0. She had been targeted by racist comments questioning her gender after Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from their fight just 46 seconds in.
5- Zhou medal confusion
Zhou Yaqin was confused when she saw her fellow medalists biting and copying their medals. After winning silver in the balance beam final, the 18-year-old Chinese gymnast went viral. At her first ever Games, she saw Italians Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito biting their gold and bronze medals. Zhou quickly brought her medal to her mouth but didn’t bite it, thinking it was something all medal winners had to do.
Novak Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, had already achieved a lot in his tennis career: he won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, became the world No. 1, and earned over $180 million in prize money. However, he was deeply emotional when he finally won the only major award missing from his achievements—a gold medal at the Olympics.
Usually calm, Djokovic knelt on the clay at Roland Garros, trembling and shaking. He sat on the bench and cried, his body shaking with emotion.
7-Armand Duplantis winning celebration
Armand Duplantis, also known as Mondo, had already won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men’s pole vault. Despite this, the crowd of about 75,000 at the Stade de France in St.-Denis wasn’t ready to leave. At 24, Duplantis was now trying to set a world record for the ninth time since 2020.
His success came from his great skill and intelligent choices. Although he grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, he competes for Sweden, his mother’s native country, which picks its team without needing Olympic trials. With a bonus of up to $100,000 for setting a world record, he carefully raises the record by just a centimetre each time. On Monday, he tried to clear a height of 6.25 meters (20 feet 6 inches). He missed twice and fell on his third try, but the bar stayed in place. He had set another record, though it was just a tiny improvement.
8-Rebeca Andrade Queen moment
Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles had a plan. They both wanted to be on the top of the medal stand after the final gymnastics event, the floor exercise. But Biles, the favourite, made a few mistakes, and Chiles made a few more. So, Rebeca Andrade from Brazil ended up winning the gold medal instead.
After Chiles got her bronze medal (which was temporary) and Biles got her silver, Andrade was introduced as the Olympic champion. As she walked to the podium, making history as the first all-Black medalists in Olympic gymnastics, Biles and Chiles kneeled and bowed to her. They later called her a queen.
9- Chinese Badminton Player Receives Wedding Proposal
Chinese Olympian Huang Ya Qiong won a gold medal and got a marriage proposal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old badminton player and her partner Zheng Siwei won gold in mixed doubles by beating the South Korean team Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun on August 2. After the medal ceremony, Huang’s teammate Liu Yuchen surprised her with flowers and proposed to her in front of the crowd at La Chapelle Arena.
10-North Korean and South Korean player’s podium selfie
After the mixed doubles table tennis final, athletes from North and South Korea put their differences aside and took a selfie on the podium. North Korea won silver, and South Korea won gold. The viral photo showed how sports can bring people together.
Marathon gold medalist Sifan Hassan, a Dutch of Ethiopian descent, accepted her Olympic gold medal wearing a hijab.
It was Sifan’s third medal in Paris. She was competing in the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon – the last two events just two days apart.
On Friday, Hassan took bronze in the 10,000m in the Stade de France after coming away with a bronze in the 5,000m.
“It was not easy,” said Hassan, 31. “It was so hot, but I was feeling OK. I’ve never pushed myself through to the finish line as I did today,” Sifan said.
France has been criticised during the Olympics for prohibiting athletes from wearing hijab while competing.
Athletes from other countries, like Egypt, have worn hijabs while playing. For several years, apparel makers have designed hijabs that function well for competition, which has eliminated one argument that had been used by some detractors.
Hassan’s presence at the ceremony was not a direct reaction to the French rule, but it is a reminder of a position taken by France that has been widely criticised.
Preparations are in full swing to welcome back javelin star Arshad Nadeem, who won a gold medal for Pakistan in the Paris Olympics 2024, the country’s first in almost 40 years. On the other hand, the Federal Board of Revenue will certainly be busy preparing a tax sheet for the prize money the star athlete has received.
How much tax will Arshad have to pay on the money he has received as a reward for his hard work and without any government support?
The World Athletes Federation has given Arshad Nadeem a reward of one crore 40 lakh rupees. Gifts of cash, apartments, and cars have been announced for him from all over Pakistan, for a total prize money of more than 20 crores till now.
According to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), players are required to pay tax on prize money or lottery winnings. The tax rate is different for filers and non-filers. A filer has to pay 15 percent of the total amount, while a non-filer has to pay 30 percent of the amount.
Arshad will receive a total prize money of over 20 crores in the form of cash prizes, apartments and cars. If he isva filer, he will have to pay three crore rupees on the prize money, while if he is not a filer, he will have to pay six crore.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz announced 10 crore rupees for the national hero, the Sindh government five crore, the World Athletes Federation one crore 40 lahks, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, cricketer Ahmed Shehzad and a singer gave a total of 30 lakh while Salman Iqbal of ARY has announced an apartment in ARY Laguna for the historic victory of Olympian Arshad Nadeem.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, target of racist attacks on her gender, has won the gold medal in the women’s boxing competition.
In the final of the boxing 66 kg category match, a visibly pumped up Imane defeated China’s Yang Liu by 5-0.
The Algerian boxer has been the victim of a racist storm questioning her gender ever since Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew 46 seconds into their bout. Harry Potter author JK Rowling joined in on the attacks l, condemning Imane on X (formerly Twitter), as did Elon Musk.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported Imane and declared her eligible to compete in women’s boxing.
After that, Imane not only won all the fights but also won the decisive battle to win Algeria’s second gold medal of the event.
According to the IOC, all boxers participating in women’s boxing meet the eligibility criteria. The same boxing rules are in force at the Paris Olympics as in 2021, with all qualifying rounds of Olympic boxing held under the same rules.
After the controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer escalated, Hungarian boxer Luca Hamori shared insulting posts about her on social media before the fight. She removed the posts after severe criticism, while Italian boxer Angela also apologized to Imane for her behaviour.
Arshad Nadeem made history by winning an Olympic gold medal for Pakistan after 29 years, after he pulled off an Olympic record breaking 92.9 meters throw.
In a highly tough competition, India’s Neeraj Chopra who was defending his gold medal from Tokyo 2020 threw his best of 89.45 meters for silver, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters took bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
The win has sent waves of happiness and pride across the country as celebrities and fans took to social media to congratulate Arshad on his historic performance.
Many celebrities shared stories on their Instagram to congratulate and appreciate the national hero.
