KINYORO, Kenya - On the morning of Sunday Sept. 1, Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei was preparing to go to church from her home in the highlands of western Kenya. Her ex-boyfriend called a friend of his to ask if he could borrow a lighter.

He said he had "an emergency" and was heading out of town, the friend, retired runner Dennis Masai Chepkongin, told Reuters at his home in the Mount Elgon region, where Cheptegei lived.

"He became very secretive when I asked him why," Chepkongin said, adding that he declined the request.

Hours later Cheptegei's former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, doused the runner in petrol and set her on fire, according to her family and police. 

Both would die in hospital of their burns. Marangach could not be reached for comment before his death, and Reuters was unable independently to verify the details of what happened that day. 

A police official, who asked not to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed Marangach had been under investigation for murder when he died.

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