By Our Correspondent
The world is still reeling from shock after the worst form of humanity depicted itself in Western Kenya on Sunday.
Rebecca Cheptegei, an Olympian from Uganda, is currently fighting for her life at an Eldoret hospital after her ex-lover, Dickson Ndiema, allegedly set her on fire.
Ugandan Athlete Set On Fire
Cheptegei was reportedly waylaid by the suspect as she was coming from church with her children. She was doused with petrol before being left for dead. Doctors have reported her condition as critical, having suffered 80 per cent burns.
Who Is Rebecca Cheptegei?
Cheptegei is a Ugandan long-distance runner who lives and trains in Kenya. She is also an officer with the Ugandan People’s Defence Force.
Her latest addition to her long CV came last month when she represented Uganda at the Olympic Games in Paris. She finished 44th in the women’s marathon, which Sifan Hassan won.
She began her career in 2010, specializing in middle-distance running. She won the 1500m event at the München Pfingst meeting in Munich before returning home and winning the 10,000m race in Kampala.
The seasoned cross-country runner was 55th at the 2011Â World Championships in Punta Umbria. She put aside the disappointing performance to finish second in the Madrid half-marathon. Cheptegei was also second at the Cantalejo half-marathon.
Between 2011 and 2022, the Ugandan competed in the 10km, 1500m, and half-marathon races, posting mixed results. She won the 10km race at Santa Pola in 2014 before taking third place at the Quanzhou half marathon in China.
Her first win came in 2022 when she won the Padova marathon in Italy. She set a time of 2:31:21. Her best marathon performance was the 2:22:47 she used to finish second in the Abu Dhabi marathon in December 2022.
That time places her as the second-fastest female Ugandan marathoner of all time, according to World Athletics stats.
Cheptegei was third at the Firenze marathon in Italy in November 2023 before heading to her first Olympics in Paris.
Her family has since spoken following the troubling incident. Swift News has reported that Cheptegei’s father revealed the cause of the incident.
The father disclosed that the two had a longstanding land tussle that led to the disagreement.
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