A Ugandan athlete who appeared in the 2024 Paris Olympics is in critical condition after reportedly being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya.
Distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, suffered 75 percent burns on her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her in petrol and set her on fire at her home in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya on Sunday, Sept. 1, police said, per the Associated Press, BBC News and ESPN.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday, per the outlets, that the attack happened during a dispute between Cheptegei and her boyfriend Nickson Ndiema.
“The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house,” he told journalists, per BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”
Ndiemma also sustained serious burns in the fire. The pair were put out by neighbors and transported to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the nearby city of Eldoret for specialized treatment.
Chepteget competing at the Discovery 10km road race in Uganda on Jan. 20, 2023.
AP Photo
In a report filed by the local police obtained by AP, the pair were described as having been heard arguing over the land the home was built on before the incident.
Kosiom told local outlet The Standard, “[Ndiema] is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church. Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze.”
He added to the outlet that items including “a five-liter jerrican” belonging to Dickson and “a burned mobile phone believed to be for Rebecca” were collected for forensic analysis.
An investigation is ongoing, per multiple reports.
Cheptegei finished in 44th place in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August.
The athlete moved from across the border from Uganda to Trans Nzoia County after purchasing land in the region so she could train, according to reports.
Cheptegei’s entrance into the 2024 Olympics came after she won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.
PEOPLE has contacted Trans Nzoia County Public Service Board for comment.
