Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who participated in the 10,000 metre race at the Paris Olympics, has been injured in an attack by her alleged boyfriend in Trans Nzoia county on Monday.
Cheptegei is in critical condition and has been rushed to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.
It’s alleged that she was attacked by her boyfriend, who doused her with petrol and set her on fire.
Trans Nzoia county police commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom confirmed the incident, saying the athlete sustained 75 per cent burns and is admitted at MTRH.
The boyfriend also sustained serious burns and is also at the same hospital
The police commander said they are currently conducting a probe into the matter
Her parents, Joseph Cheptegei and Agnes Ndiema, said she had been initially admitted to Kitale Level Four Hospital but was referred to MTRH.
The parents who had left for Uganda travelled to Trans Nzoia to learn about the attack, which occurred early today
She is a resident of Cheminy in Uganda, but the parents said she had bought land in Trans Nzoia and built a house where she had been staying during her training.
