Marcus Chan
Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei was hospitalised after being set on fire by her boyfriend.
Cheptegei, 33, is a Ugandan athlete who lives in Kenya and she finished 44th in the marathon event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
She also won the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022.
The Ugandan was allegedly attacked in her house in western Trans Nzoia County, Kenya.
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Trans Nzoia police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom revealed that Chepegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, had bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and then set her on fire on Sunday.
As reported by The Guardian, Cheptegei is in critical condition after suffering 75 per cent burns on her body.
Kosiom said: “The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.
“The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns.”
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Meanwhile, the Ugandan Athletics Federation released a statement after the attack was made public.
It read: “We regret to announce that our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Olympics has suffered severe injuries and is hospitalised at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
“This follows an incident involving her Kenyan boyfriend pouring petrol and setting fire on her.”
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Cheptegei is not the first female athlete who has been on the end of a tragic attack in Kenya.
Back in October 2021, it was reported that Agnes Tirop, a two-time world 10km bronze medallist who finished fourth in the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics, was stabbed to death.
In April 2022, Damaris Mutua, who represented Bahrain, was found strangled with a pillow over her face in the same town.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.