Olympic marathon runner who was set on hearth dies in hospital
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died in hospital from her injuries after being the victim of a petrol attack at her home.
Cheptegei was being treated in hospital for 80 per cent burns allegedly being set on fire by her boyfriend on Sunday.
She had been admitted to the intensive care unit at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.
The hospital’s acting director Dr Owen Menach confirmed Cheptegei had died on Wednesday night.
‘Unfortunately, we lost her after all her organs failed last night,’ Menach said, as reported by Kenyan newspaper The Star.
Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei (centre), has died in hospital, it has been announced
The hospital are expected to provide a full report later today.
Cheptegei had returned to Kenya following her participation at the Paris Olympics, where she represented Uganda in the marathon.
Kenyan police confirmed the runner had been attacked at her house in western Trans Nzoia County, located close to the Ugandan border.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said her former partner — alleged to be ex-boyfriend Dickson Ndiema — had bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement on Sunday.
Her father Joseph Cheptegei, speaking earlier this week from hospital alongside his other daughter Evalyne Chelagat, claimed that the two were fighting over her land at Endebes in Trans Nzoia shortly before the alleged attack occurred.
‘They were just friends and I wonder why he wanted to take away things belonging to my daughter,’ Cheptegei Snr told The Star, revealing also that his daughter’s two children are fathered by a different man living in Uganda.
He went on to claim that Cheptegei and Ndiema — who he alleges have been separated for a long time — are involved in a case being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya.
According to Cheptegei Snr and Police Commander Kosiom, the ex-boyfriend sneaked into his daughter’s home to stage the attack.
‘The boyfriend is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2pm on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church,’ Kosiom said, as per the Kenyan newspaper The Standard.
‘Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze.
‘The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.
‘The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns.’
According to Menach, the alleged ex-boyfriend attacker has also been admitted to the same hospital with 30 per cent burns.
