A Ugandan athlete competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics is in critical condition after she was allegedly set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya.
Distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, suffered 75 percent burns to her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her with gasoline and set her on fire at her home in Trans Nzoia County, western Kenya on Sunday, September 1, police said, according to the Associated Press. BBC News and ESPN.
The Trans Nzoia District Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom, said on Monday, according to media reports, that the attack took place during an argument between Cheptegei and her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema.
“The couple was heard arguing in front of their house,” he told reporters for the BBC. “During the argument, the boyfriend was seen dousing the woman with liquid before setting her on fire.”
Ndiemma also suffered serious burns in the fire. The couple were extinguished by neighbors and rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the nearby town of Eldoret for specialized treatment.
Rebecca Cheptegei.
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In a report filed by local police obtained by the AP, it was described that the couple was heard arguing over the land on which the house was built before the incident.
Kosiom told local media Standard“[Ndiema] He is believed to have sneaked onto the property around 2:00pm on Sunday while his wife and children were at church. On his return, Dickson, who had obtained petrol, began dousing Rebecca before setting her on fire.”
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Chepteget is competing in the Discovery 10km Road Race in Uganda on January 20, 2023.
AP photo
He added that items including a “five-litre jerrycan” belonging to Dickson and a “burnt mobile phone believed to be Rebecca’s” had been collected for forensic analysis.
The investigation is ongoing, following several reports.
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A distance runner is recovering from 75% burns in the attack at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya.
Alamy
Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics in August.
According to reports, the athlete moved across the border from Uganda to Trans Nzoia district after buying land in the region so she could train.
Cheptegei qualified for the 2024 Olympics after winning gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
PEOPLE has contacted the Trans Nzoia County Public Service Board for comment.
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Source: HIS Education