New Delhi: Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete, was hospitalised after allegedly being set on fire by her former boyfriend who doused her in petrol during a quarrel. She is currently in critical condition at a Kenyan hospital. This marks another and the latest horrific incident of gender-based violence in the East African country. The 33-year-old long-distance runner was competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 just three weeks back, where she finished 44th.
Cheptegei was assaulted after her Kenyan boyfriend Dickson Ndiema reportedly broke secretly into her home in the small town of Endebess on Sunday while the athlete and her two children were at church, the police said. It further added that the marathon runner had suffered burns to more than 75% of her body and was attacked in the western Kenya vicinity, a place where she had been training.
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 pic.twitter.com/rgnWvgTpkb
— Uganda Athletics Federation-UAF (@UgaAthletics2) September 3, 2024
As she returned home with her kids, she was targeted. There have been numerous cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya and some of them have even resulted in death. Cheptegei was rescued by her neighbours after the incident. The alleged attacker also suffered serious burns, as revealed by local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom to the media.
The victim and the attacker are getting treatment at the Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, which is the main town in the region. Cheptegei was shifted to intensive care unit (ICU) on Monday. “The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” local police chief Kosiom was quoted as saying.
What was the reason?
As per the media reports, Cheptegei, who belongs to a region just across the border in Uganda, bought a piece of land in Trans Nzoia county and built a house to stay near the athletic training centres of Kenya. A local administrator had filed a report that said that the two adults were in a dispute over the piece of land. The police investigation is currently underway.
Several similar incidents have been reported in the nation in the last few years where male and female athletes have been targeted.
Rebecca Cheptegei of Uganda was drenched in petrol by her former partner during a quarrel between the two. The Olympian has been hospitalised and is in a critical condition with most of her body burned. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
