Olympic athlete set on fire by boyfriend after he poured petrol over her
3 September 2024, 14:24
The boyfriend of an Olympic athlete poured petrol on her and set her on fire, leaving her covered in burns, police have said.
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Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan distance runner, is being treated for 75% burns after her partner Dickson Ndiema assaulted her at home in Kenya on Sunday.
Cheptegei, 33, who finished 44th in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked after coming home from church to her property in the western Trans Nzoia County
She is in a serious condition in hospital with burns to her face, medical staff said.
Ndiema also suffered burns in the process.
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Trans Nzoia police commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said that Ndiema bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and set her on fire during a disagreement on Sunday.
Both are receiving specialised treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.
Cheptegei's parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county's many athletic training centres.
A report filed by the local chief says the couple were heard fighting over the land where the house was built, before the fire started.
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds.
In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead, and a post-mortem examination said she had been strangled.
