Current:Home > MarketsOlympian Rebecca Cheptegei Set on Fire in Gasoline Attack Weeks After 2024 Paris Games -Wealth Momentum Network
Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei Set on Fire in Gasoline Attack Weeks After 2024 Paris Games
View
Date:2025-04-16 16:11:43
Content warning: This article contains mention of domestic violence.
Rebecca Cheptegei is in critical condition.
Three weeks after competing at the 2024 Olympics, the distance runner representing Uganda is in the hospital after she was set on fire by her alleged boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, at her Kenyan residence Aug. 2, Tranz Nzoi Country Police said per the BBC.
"The couple were heard quarreling outside their house," police chief Jeremiah Ole Kosiom told reporters, according to the outlet. "During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her."
The 33-year-old—who placed 44th during the women's marathon at the Paris Games Aug. 11—is being treated in the ICU for burns on 75 percent of her body in addition to inhalation burns. Kosiom also shared with Kenya's The Star that her boyfriend was also admitted with burns covering 30 percent of his body.
Authorities said, per the publication, that the suspect snuck into Cheptegei’s home with a five-liter can of gasoline while the athlete was at church. The suspect reportedly doused her with the liquid when she returned and lit her on fire. Neighbors told the police they heard the altercation and pulled the pair out of the flames. They were rushed to the hospital.
The heartbreaking news comes nearly two years after two high-profile female athletes in Kenya were killed. Distance runner Agnes Tirop, 25, was found with stab wounds in her neck in October 2021, according to police reports per Reuters. The main suspect was her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, who was charged the following month for her murder. The 43-year-old denied the charges and is still awaiting his trial.
And in April 2022, runner Damaris Mutua was found strangled in a rental home. The main suspect in her killing was her boyfriend Eskinder Hailemariam Folie, Kenya's Nation reported at the time. According to Iten police commander Tom Makori, per the outlet, he confessed to a friend that he killed her before going into hiding. He is wanted for arrest, according to authorities, The New Yorker reported in April 2023.
Following Mutua's death, Kenyan runner Mary Keitany pointed to the overarching conversation surrounding the athletes' deaths. As a recent report from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey found that 40 percent of women in the country have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partners at least once during their lives.
"The elephant in the room is gender-based violence, which is now rife among athletes," Keitany told Nation at the time. "We are calling for concerted efforts to sensitize athletes to run away from abuse, which is leading to loss of lives."
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.veryGood! (54934)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Powerball winning numbers for April 10 drawing: Did anyone win $31 million jackpot?
- Here's why some people bruise more easily than others
- 10 Things to Remember about O.J. Simpson
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Shares Heartbreaking Message on Late Son Garrison's Birthday
- Man, teenage girl found dead in Wisconsin after shooting at officers, Iowa slaying
- Job market red flag? Despite booming employment gains, white-collar job growth slows
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- 8 found in unlicensed plastic surgery recovery home in Florida, woman charged: Reports
Ranking
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Amazon's 'Fallout' TV show is a video game adaptation that's a 'chaotic' morality tale
- O.J. Simpson Dead at 76 After Cancer Battle
- Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani's Former Interpreter Facing Fraud Charges After Allegedly Stealing $16 Million
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice says she won’t run again, setting up fight for control
- Meet The Real Housewives of Dubai's Fiery New Housewife in Sizzling Season 2 Trailer
- 6 suspects arrested in murder of soccer star Luke Fleurs at gas station in South Africa
Recommendation
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Fiery debate over proposed shield law leads to rare censure in Maine House
Homebuyers’ quandary: to wait or not to wait for lower mortgage rates
Water pouring out of 60-foot crack in Utah dam as city of Panguitch prepares to evacuate
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Nebraska lawmakers pass a bill to restore voting rights to newly released felons
Photos show damage, flooding as Southern states are hit with heavy rain and tornadoes
Kansas has some of the nation’s lowest benefits for injured workers. They’ll increase in July