A Ugandan Olympic marathon runner living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend on Sunday, police said.
Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, who recently became a first-time Olympian at the Paris Games, got into an argument with her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, during which Ndiema allegedly grabbed a container of gasoline, poured it on Cheptegei and set him on fire, according to Police Commissioner Jeremiah Ole Kosiom.
The attack left the Olympian with burns over 75% of his body.
The altercation reportedly began over a dispute over the land on which the house was built.
“The couple could be heard arguing outside the house and during the argument the boyfriend was seen pouring liquid on the woman, causing burns,” Koisom said. said Via BBC.
Cheptegei reportedly bought the land in Trans-Nzora to be closer to his athletic training facilities.
Ugandan runners finished 44th at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Prior to that, he won the Padua Marathon in 2022, placed second in the 10,000m at the Uganda Championships and finished fourth at the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon.
An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
