A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya is being treated for severe burns covering 75% of her body after being attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend, police said Monday.
Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who placed 44th in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked at her home in Trans Nzoia County, western Kenya. According to Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom, Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, doused her with petrol and set her ablaze during a dispute on Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn injuries in the incident, and both are receiving specialized care at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.
Cheptegei’s parents shared that their daughter had purchased land in Trans Nzoia to be close to the region’s numerous athletic training centers. A report filed by the local chief indicates that the couple was arguing over the ownership of the land where their house was built before the fire broke out.
The incident adds to a troubling trend of violence against athletes in the region. In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds, and in 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was discovered dead, with a postmortem report revealing she had been strangled.
