The father of Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who is being treated in hospital for 80 per cent burns, has revealed details about his daughter’s alleged attacker, who is also an ex-boyfriend.
After returning to Kenya following her participation in the Paris Olympics, where she represented Uganda in the marathon, Cheptegei was attacked at her home in the western county of Trans Nzoia, police said.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said her ex-partner, reportedly her ex-boyfriend Dickson Ndiema, had bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and set it alight during a disagreement on Sunday.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, speaking from the hospital alongside his other daughter, Evalyne Chelagat, said the two were fighting for their land in Endebes in Trans Nzoia shortly before the alleged attack took place.
“They were just friends and I wonder why he wanted to take things away from my daughter,” Cheptegei Sr. told the Kenyan newspaper. The staralso revealing that her daughter’s two children were fathered by another man living in Uganda.
The father of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei (centre), who is being treated in hospital for 80 per cent burns, has revealed details about the alleged attacker of his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Cheptegei, pictured, finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
He went on to claim that Cheptegei and Ndiema, who he said have been estranged for a long time, are involved in a case being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya.
According to Cheptegei Snr and Police Commander Kosiom, the ex-boyfriend sneaked into his daughter’s house to organise the attack.
“The groom is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2pm on Sunday while his wife and children were at church,” Kosiom was quoted as saying by Kenyan newspaper The Standard.
‘On returning, Dickson, who had obtained petrol, began pouring it over Rebecca before setting her alight.
‘The couple were heard arguing outside their home. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid over the woman before setting her on fire.
‘The suspect was also hit by the fire and suffered serious burns.’
Dr Owen Menach, who is treating Cheptegei at Moi University and Referral Hospital, said the athlete is in a critical condition and fighting for her life.
Sharing that Cheptegei suffered external and inhalation burns, he told The Star: “She is a high-profile patient and we are doing everything possible to save her life.”
According to Menach, the alleged attacker’s ex-boyfriend was also admitted to the same hospital with 30 percent burns and is in more stable condition.
The Uganda Athletics Federation confirmed the attack on social media.
‘We regret to announce that our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Olympic Games, has sustained serious injuries and is hospitalized at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to the doctor treating her, Cheptegei is in critical condition and fighting for her life.
‘This comes after an incident in which her Kenyan boyfriend allegedly poured petrol on her and set her on fire.’
Neighbours helped extinguish the flames, according to local reports, and both were admitted to hospital with serious burns.
Police discovered a five-litre jerrycan, a bag and a burnt phone at the scene of the incident, Kenyan newspaper The Nation reported.
The local police chief said the couple had been heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.
Cheptegei reportedly bought the land in Trans Nzoia County, located near the border with Uganda, and built a house.
The house is close to several training centers in Kenya.
Cheptegei finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics last month.
Cheptegei won the 2022 World Mountain Running and Trail Running Championships in Thailand
The 33-year-old also won gold at the 2022 World Mountain Running and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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 and a post-mortem report indicated that she was strangled in the town of Iten.
Muthee’s death came months after two-time World Championship medallist Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in the same town.