What happened to Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei?

Content warning: This article describes intimate partner violence. Please take care while reading.

Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei suffered life-threatening injuries over the weekend when her ex-boyfriend and alleged assailant, Dickson Ndiema, lit her on fire at Cheptegei’s Kenyan home. Cheptegei’s neighbors, who put the fires out, reported hearing the couple fighting before the attack, and Ndiema was also injured in the incident.

Ndiema reportedly broke into Cheptegei’s home while she was at church with her two children on Sun. Sept. 1, 2024. When they returned, “The couple was heard quarreling outside their house,” Kenyan Police Chief Jeremiah Ole Kosiom said, according to the BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Kosiom added. Cheptegei had reportedly purchased land in Kenya where she planned to build a house, to be closer to athletic training facilities. A property dispute between the couple may have motivated the attack, Kenyan authorities said.

How badly was Cheptegei injured?

Cheptegei was reportedly burned on more than 75% of her body, and hospital officials said she was fully sedated while in treatment. Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where Cheptegei and Ndiema were taken after the attack, was well-equipped to treat both Cheptegei and her attacker’s injuries, hospital officials said. Joseph Cheptegei, Rebecca’s father, said he prayed “for justice for my daughter,” referring to the burning incident.

Just weeks before the attack, Cheptegei, 33, finished 44th in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. She took home gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships two years earlier. Cheptegei was just the latest female athlete to be similarly attacked in Kenya. Two other high-profile women athletes, Damaris Mutua and Agnes Tirop, died in Kenya from intimate partner violence in 2022. CNN reported those incidents highlight an ongoing femicide problem in the country.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.