A Kenyan-based Ugandan athlete was reportedly set on fire by her partner and is currently undergoing treatment for 75% burns, according to the police.
Rebecca Cheptegei, a long-distance runner who secured the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was assaulted at her residence in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya.
The Police Commander of Trans Nzoia County, Jeremiah Ole Kosiom, mentioned on Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, allegedly purchased a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her, and set her on fire during a dispute on Sunday.
Ndiema also sustained burn injuries, and both individuals are now receiving medical care at Eldoret city’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Cheptegei’s parents disclosed that their daughter had acquired land in Trans Nzoia County near the area’s numerous sports training facilities.
According to a report filed by the local chief, the couple was overheard arguing about the land on which the house was constructed before the fire outbreak.
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was discovered dead with stab wounds. Additionally, in 2022, Damaris Muthee, a Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete, was found dead, with the postmortem report indicating that she was strangled.