Democracy Dies in Darkness

Olympic marathoner set on fire during attack in Kenya

Rebecca Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the Paris Olympics women’s marathon, is reportedly in critical condition.

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Rebecca Cheptegei was set ablaze on Sunday, police said. (AP Photo) (AP)
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An Olympic distance runner is in critical condition in a Kenyan hospital after she was set on fire, according to multiple reports. The athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, reportedly is receiving treatment for burns on 75 percent of her body.

“We regret to announce that our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Olympics has suffered severe injuries and is hospitalized at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. This follows an incident involving her Kenyan boyfriend pouring petrol and setting fire on her,” the Uganda Athletics Federation said Tuesday.

Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete living in Kenya, was attacked in her house in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya, near the Ugandan border. Cheptegei’s parents told the Associated Press their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be closer to Kenya’s athletic training centers. The 33-year-old long distance runner qualified to race for Uganda at this summer’s Paris Olympics and finished 44th in women’s marathon.

Trans Nzoia County police said Cheptegei’s boyfriend poured a jerrycan of petrol on her and set her on fire during a disagreement Sunday, according to the AP. Before the attack, AP reported, the couple were heard fighting over the land where the house was built, according to a report filed by the local chief.

Cheptegei’s boyfriend also sustained serious burns in the attack, Trans Nzoia County police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom told journalists. Both are receiving specialized treatment at a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.

“The couple were heard quarreling outside their house,” Kosiom said. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

The attack on Cheptegei comes after other cases of violence in recent years against female athletes in Kenya.

In October 2021, Olympic distance runner Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death at her home in Iten, about 22 miles east of Eldoret. Six months later, Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan runner who competed for Bahrain, was found dead at the home of her boyfriend in Iten. A postmortem report said she was strangled.

Authorities identified Tirop’s husband as the primary suspect in her killing and he is currently facing murder charges, which he denies. A search for Mutua’s boyfriend continues.

Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris Olympics are officially over after the Closing Ceremonies ended on an American note with Tom Cruise and Billie Eilish. The next Summer Games will take place in Los Angeles in 2028, returning after a successful 1984 Olympic Games.

Medals: See the final Olympic medal count, country by country, including firsts and comparisons to the 2020 Olympics. See the U.S. medals broken down by athletes, too.

U.S. athletes: The Americans won 126 medals, and because of team sports and relays, more than 40 percent of the team’s delegation of nearly 600 athletes received at least one. Simone Biles, Noah Lyles, U.S. Women’s soccer, basketball and men’s basketball all claimed gold among other Team USA athletes.