Paris Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei set on fire

A marathon runner who raced at the Paris Olympics is in intensive care in Kenya after being set on fire by her partner.

Ugandan Olympic long distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei is in intensive care in a Kenyan hospital after being doused in petrol and set on fire by her partner.

The 33-year-old recently competed in her first Olympic Games in Paris, running the women’s marathon and finishing in 44th place in a season’s best time of 2:32.14, nine minutes of gold medallist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.

But weeks after the event, the running star has reportedly suffered burns to over 75 per cent of her body in the horrific attack.

Police said Cheptegei was assaulted by her Kenyan boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach who reportedly snuck into her home in Endebess in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya at around 2pm on Sunday while she and her children were at church, police said.

“Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring (it) on Rebecca before he set her ablaze,” a police report said, adding that he was also injured by the flames.

The report said that neighbours had rescued the pair and taken them to nearby Kitale County Referral Hospital where they were admitted with “multiple burns”.

They were transferred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), where Cheptegei was admitted to the intensive care unit on Monday.

“Her condition looks serious with facial burns and bandages,” a MTRH staff member told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The police report did not mention if Cheptegei’s children were hurt in the attack.

The Ugandan athlete and Marangach were a couple who “constantly had family wrangles”, the police report said.

Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei competing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023. Photo by Ferenc ISZA / AFP

Trans-Nzoia County police commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom told Kenyan newspaper The Standard that the pair had been “heard quarrelling outside their house” before the incident.

A report filed by the local chief said the couple had been fighting over the land where the house was built.

“During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Mr Kosiom said.

“The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns.”

Chetegei’s parents were travelling from Uganda to be by her side. Local media reported that Cheptegei had bought land in the area to be close to the area’s athletic training centres.

The Ugandan Athletics Federation expressed its regret over the incident, saying Cheptegei had “suffered severe injuries”.

“This follows an incident involving her Kenyan boyfriend pouring petrol and setting fire on her,” it said in a statement on X.

Cheptegei is an accomplished long distance runner, having claimed gold at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thaliand in 2022.

Cheptegei wipes her forehead during the women’s marathon in Paris. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Ugandan Olympic Committee president Donald Rukare shared his disgust over the situation on X.

“Our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei was viciously attacked by her boyfriend, sustaining serious burns, currently admitted in hospital,” he posted.

“Let’s keep Rebecca in pray and wish her a full recovery. Let’s all say NO to violence especially against women.

“This is totally unacceptable and we condemn this totally uncalled for attack. Together let’s stand against violence.”

Unfortunately, the incident is not an isolated attack in Kenya, with a January 2023 report from the Kenyan Bureau of National Statistics finding that 34 per cent of women in Kenya have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

It said women who had “been married are much more likely to have experienced violence”, noting that 41 per cent of such women reported incidents compared to 20 per cent of unmarried women.

The assault on Cheptegei comes two years after Kenyan-born athlete Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, a world-famous running hub in the Rift Valley in the west of the country.

Her death followed the murder of record-breaking runner Agnes Tirop, 25, who was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten in 2021.

Tirop’s estranged husband Emmanuel Ibrahim Rotich went on trial over her murder in 2023. He has denied the charges. His trial is ongoing.

In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner Benjamin Kiplagat was found stabbed to death in a car in Eldoret in the west of Kenya.

With AFP

Originally published as Paris Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei set on fire