Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born distance runner who competed for Bahrain, was found dead at the home of her boyfriend, who police identified as Ethiopian runner Koki Fai.
Keiyo County police chief Tom Maruko said the boyfriend was suspected of murder in the killing and was believed to have fled the country. Police think Mutua was killed over the weekend.
Mutua’s death echoes the killing of Olympic runner and two-time world championship bronze medalist Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death at her home in Iten in October.
Tirop’s partner was arrested and has been charged with murder, while her death prompted many in Kenya’s running community to speak out and hold protests against what they say is a deep-rooted problem of domestic violence against female athletes in Kenya.
