Ugandan marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei remains in critical condition in a hospital in western Kenya, with burns on 80% of her body, three days after she was doused with gasoline and set on fire by a man presented by the police as her boyfriend, reports AFP.
Rebecca Cheptegei. PHOTO: Facebook
The hospital in the city of Eldoret, where the 33-year-old sportswoman, who participated in the Paris Olympics (44th place), is hospitalized, did not provide a report on Wednesday. However, a hospital staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity that her condition had worsened.
“Cheptegei has a bacterial infection with septicemia due to serious injuries to his stomach and lower bodyhe said.
According to Agerpres, number 2 in the Ministry of Sports, Peter Tum, indicated that he is in contact with his Ugandan counterparts and is taking care that “that she receive the best medical care available“. “Efforts are being made to have the athlete hospitalized in Eldoret flown to Nairobi for specialist treatment“, he said during the press conference to present the marathon in Nairobi, without giving a timetable for a possible transfer, depending on Rebeca Cheptega’s state of health
The drama took place on Sunday
According to a police report, the suspect identified as Dickson Ndiema Marangach entered Rebecca Cheptegei’s property around 14:00 local time, while she was at church with her children.
The marathon runner lived with her sister and her two children in this house that she built in Endebess, the locality where she was training, located 25 kilometers from the border with Uganda, her father Joseph explained on Tuesday Cheptegei, present in Eldoret.
When they returned from church, the man doused her with gasoline and set her on fire in front of his children, two girls aged 9 and 11, according to The Standard newspaper.
“When she called her sister for help, he threatened her with a machete and she fled“, Joseph Cheptegei recounted, adding that “he had never seen such cruelty“.
“He kicked me when I tried to run to my mother’s aid. I immediately shouted for help, this caused a neighbor to come, who tried to put out the flames with water, but it was not possible“, said one of his daughters, quoted by The Standard newspaper.
The exact relationship between the athlete and the suspect, who also suffered burns and is hospitalized in the same hospital, is not clear. The police report lists him as “a couple who are always arguing“.
But, according to Rebecca Cheptega’s father, his daughter “became friends with this man, but they had a disagreement and he left to live with his wife“.
In recent years, several tragedies have beset the world of athletics in Kenya.
In April 2022, the body of a Bahraini athlete of Kenyan origin, Damaris Mutua, was found in Iten, a famous training ground for long-distance runners on the Rift Valley plateaus. Her boyfriend is suspected of killing her.
In October 2021, promising 25-year-old athlete Agnes Tirop, double World 10,000m bronze medalist (2017, 2019) and 4th place at the Tokyo Olympics in 5,000m, was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten . Her husband, Emmanuel Ibrahim Rotich, is being prosecuted for murder. He denies the allegations. His trial is ongoing.
