Rebecca Cheptegei: Ugandan Olympic runner set on fire by boyfriend

Police said a Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend. She is currently receiving treatment for burns covering 75% of her body.

Rebecca Cheptegei, a long-distance runner who finished 44th at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her home in western Trans Nzoia County.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said on Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a canister of petrol, poured it on her and set her on fire during an argument on Sunday. Ndiema also suffered burns and both are receiving specialist treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret town.

Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be closer to the numerous sports training centres in the district.

A report by a local chief said the couple was heard arguing over the land the house stood on before the fire broke out.

In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechase runner Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead. An autopsy report showed she had been strangled.