Olympic marathon runner set on fire by boyfriend in gasoline attack after competing at Paris 2024

A Ugandan athlete who appeared in the 2024 Paris Olympics is in critical condition after reportedly being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya.
Distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, suffered 75 percent burns on her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her in gasoline and set her on fire at her home in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya on Sunday, Sept. 1, police said, per the Associated Press, BBC News and ESPN.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday, per the outlets, that the attack happened during a dispute between Cheptegei and her boyfriend Dickson Ndiema.

“The couple were heard quarreling outside their house,” he told journalists, per BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

Ndiemma also sustained serious burns in the fire. The pair were put out by neighbors and transported to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the nearby city of Eldoret for specialized treatment.