Rebecca Cheptegei, an Olympic marathon runner from Uganda, is in a life-threatening condition after a brutal attack by her boyfriend, who allegedly set her on fire by pouring petrol over her.
Cheptegei, who represented Uganda in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she placed 44th, sustained severe burns covering more than 75% of her body in the attack outside her residence in Kenya.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom reported that the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute between Cheptegei and her boyfriend over land ownership. The argument escalated, leading her boyfriend to purchase petrol, douse her with it, and ignite the flames.
“Witnesses heard the couple quarreling outside their house. During the confrontation, the boyfriend was observed pouring a liquid on her before setting her alight,” Kosiom told The Standard newspaper in Kenya. The suspect also sustained serious burns during the incident.
Cheptegei, 33, was rescued by neighbors who rushed her and her attacker to Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, where they are both receiving treatment.
The Ugandan Athletics Federation expressed deep concern over the attack in a public statement, saying, “We are deeply saddened to report that our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Olympics, is in critical condition at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret following an incident in which her boyfriend allegedly set her on fire.”
Cheptegei, a celebrated athlete who won the mountain race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022, is the latest female athlete to fall victim to violence in Kenya.
This tragedy follows the murders of other prominent female athletes in Kenya, including Agnes Tirop, a two-time world 10km bronze medalist who was found stabbed to death in 2021, and Damaris Mutua, a Bahraini athlete who was strangled in 2022, both in the town of Iten.
