Ugandan Olympic Runner Rebecca Cheptegei Hospitalized After Being Set Ablaze by Boyfriend

Popular Ugandan Olympic marathon runner, Rebecca Cheptegei, is currently receiving treatment for severe burns at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. The athlete, who recently competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics, was reportedly set on fire by her boyfriend during a domestic dispute.

According to police reports, the incident took place at Cheptegei’s residence in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya, where she had been training. The County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom, confirmed that the attack occurred on Sunday afternoon. The suspect, identified as Cheptegei’s former partner, allegedly entered the compound while Cheptegei and her children were at church. Upon their return, the suspect is said to have poured petrol on Cheptegei before setting her ablaze.

“The couple was heard quarreling outside their house,” Kosiom stated. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before igniting the fire.” The suspect also sustained burns during the attack and is being treated at the same hospital.

The Ugandan Athletics Federation expressed their sorrow over the incident on social media, confirming Cheptegei’s severe injuries and hospitalization. Local reports indicate that neighbors intervened to extinguish the flames before both Cheptegei and the suspect were admitted to the hospital with extensive burns.

Police at the scene recovered evidence including a five-litre jerry can, a bag, and a burned phone. The couple was reportedly arguing over the ownership of the land on which the house is built—a property Cheptegei had purchased in Trans Nzoia County, near the Ugandan border.

Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the recent Paris Olympics and previously won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022.

This tragic incident follows a series of similar violent occurrences within the athletics community. In 2023, fellow Ugandan Olympian Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds, and in 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found strangled, just months after the death of two-time World Championship medallist Agnes Tirop, who was also stabbed in Kenya.