After going to church

Set on fire by boyfriend! Olympic runner in hospital

Rebecca Cheptegei

(Bild: Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Horrific scenes in Kenya! According to the police, Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei was doused with petrol and set alight by her partner. Her life is in danger.

Following the incident on Sunday, the 33-year-old is being treated in hospital in the town of Eldoret in Kenya for serious burns. Police say her partner ambushed Cheptegei with a five-liter petrol canister at her home in Trans-Nzoia County in rural western Kenya while she was at church.

Previously, there had allegedly been a dispute between the two over a piece of land, among other things. Cheptegei's partner was also caught in the flames. Neighbors extinguished the fire and took both to hospital, according to reports. The police are now investigating the man for attempted murder.

According to the hospital in Eldoret, Cheptegei was admitted to the intensive care unit with burns to around 80 percent of her body surface. She had also inhaled flames and suffered internal burns. The athlete, who is receiving artificial respiration, is currently still in mortal danger. The suspected perpetrator is also in intensive care with burns to 30 percent of his body surface.

"Let us pray for Rebecca"
"Our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei was brutally attacked by her boyfriend and suffered severe burns," wrote the president of Uganda's Olympic Committee, Donald Rukare, on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. "Let's pray for Rebecca and wish her a full recovery. Let us all say NO to violence, especially against women. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn this totally inappropriate attack."

Cheptegei finished 44th in the women's marathon at the Olympic Games in Paris in August. Prior to that, the athlete had finished 14th at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and won a gold medal at the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai.