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A world champion runner who competed at the Olympics last month is in critical condition after being doused in gasoline and set on fire by her boyfriend.
Rebecca Cheptegei suffered burns to more than 75 percent of her body following an attack at her home, police say.
Her alleged attacker also suffered serious burns in the incident in western Kenya, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom told reporters.
“The couple was heard arguing outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring liquid on the woman before burning her,” Kosiom said.
Cheptegei, 33, was reportedly rescued by neighbors at her home in the small town of Endebess before she and her attacker were taken to Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the region’s main town.
The athlete, who was born in neighboring Uganda and competes for that country, is said to have purchased land in Trans Nzoia County and built a house, close to Kenya’s many sports training centers.
A report filed by a local administrator indicates that she and her attacker were fighting over land.
The attack occurred exactly three weeks after Cheptegei finished 44th in the Olympic marathon.
She has already won gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The attack on her is the latest against a female athlete in Kenya, some of which have been fatal.
In April 2022, her compatriot Damaris Mutua was found strangled with a pillow over her face in the Rift Valley town of Iten.
This happened a few months after record-breaking distance runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in the same city.
Men have also been targeted, with Ugandan Benjamin Kiplagat stabbed to death by attackers in Eldoret in December.
