Rebecca Cheptegei: Olympic marathoner fights for her life after being set on fire by her boyfriend

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A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend and is being treated for burns to 75 percent of her body, police said.

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, September 2, that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerry can of petrol, threw it on her and set her alight during a dispute on Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burns and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret town.

“The couple were heard arguing outside their home. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Kosiom told the Standard newspaper in Kenya.

“The suspect was also caught in the fire and suffered serious burns.”

The Uganda Athletics Federation reported the attack on social media, saying: “We regret to inform that our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.

“This follows an incident where her Kenyan boyfriend poured petrol over her and set her on fire.”

Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be close to the region’s many sports training centres.

A report from the local leader revealed that the couple had a dispute over the land the house was on before the fire broke out.

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 with an autopsy report indicating she had been strangled.