Olympic marathon runner set on fire by boyfriend, police say

September 3, 2024:

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

An Olympic marathon runner, who competed for Uganda and was living in Kenya, was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend during a disagreement on Sunday, police said.

Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, ran the marathon at the Paris Olympics. It was the first time she competed at the Olympics in her running career.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Rebecca Cheptegei, competes in the Discovery 10km road race in Kapchorwa, Uganda, on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo)

Weeks after finishing 44th in the event, Cheptegei was attacked in her house in the western Trans Nzoia County in Kenya. Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze.

Cheptegei was receiving and receiving treatment for burns on 75% of her body, police said. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds in the alleged incident.

According to a police report, the couple were overheard fighting over land where the house was built before the fire was started.

US PARALYMPIC RECORD-BREAKER FIRES BACK AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF FAKING DISABILITY: ‘PRETTY DEVASTATING’

Rebecca Cheptegei at the World Athletics Championship

Rebecca Cheptegei runs during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 women’s marathon in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 26, 2023. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

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

Cheptegei bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers, her parents said.

An investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR), Tsehay Gemechu (ETH), Rebecca Cheptegei (UGA) and Keira D’Amato (USA) run during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 women’s marathon in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 26, 2023. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In 2022, Cheptegei won the Padova Marathon and finished in second place in the 10,000-meter race at the Ugandan Championships. She then finished fourth in the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe