Long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei from Uganda suffered 75 percent of her skin burned in an attack. It is still unclear whether her children were also injured.
An Olympic athlete from Uganda is being treated in intensive care at a hospital in Kenya for severe burns after her partner doused her with petrol and set her on fire. Police said 33-year-old long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, was attacked in her home by her Kenyan boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach.
According to initial findings, Marangach had sneaked into the house in Endebess in western Kenya on Sunday with petrol while Cheptegei was at church with her children. When she returned, he poured the petrol on her and set her on fire, the police report said. He himself was also injured by the flames.
Uganda’s Olympian in intensive care
Neighbors rescued the two and took them to a nearby hospital. From there they were transferred to another clinic, where Cheptegei was transferred to the intensive care unit on Monday. Her health is serious, said a hospital employee. According to media reports, 75 percent of her skin surface is burned.
The police report did not say whether Cheptegei’s children were injured. Cheptegei and Marangach had apparently had arguments before.
Violence against women is widespread in Kenya: according to official statistics, one in three women aged 15 and over has experienced physical violence. Married women are particularly at risk: according to the Kenyan Bureau of Statistics, 41 percent of married women and 20 percent of unmarried women have been victims of violence.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
