Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei is battling for her life in a hospital in Kenya after being doused with petrol by her estranged ex-boyfriend, who allegedly set her on fire.
According to local police, the Paris 2024 Olympics marathon runner was ambushed in her western Kenya home, where she had been training.
The attack caused severe burns, which affected more than 75% of the 33-year-old’s body.
Local Police Chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom told newsmen that the assailant, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, also sustained serious burns and is undergoing treatment alongside Ms. Cheptegei at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the main town in the region.
It is reported that Ms. Cheptegei was rescued by neighbours after the incident that happened on Sunday at her home in the small town of Endebess.
Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the marathon event of the Paris Olympics, allegedly bought a piece of land in Trans Nzoia County and built a house to be near Kenya’s many athletic training centres.
There are growing concerns about the alarming rate of violence against female athletes in Kenya, some of which have resulted in fatalities.
In April 2022, female runner Damaris Mutua was found strangled in a home with a pillow over her face in the Rift Valley town of Iten.
It happened months after record-breaking long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in the same town.
Male athletes have also been targeted, as last December, another Ugandan athlete, Benjamin Kiplagat, was stabbed to death by assailants in Eldoret.
