THE former boyfriend of Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died after allegedly setting her on fire and injuring himself in the process.
Dickson Ndiema was named as her attacker in local media after the mum-of-two was set ablaze with petrol and died days later from organ failure.
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Ndiema sustained burns across 30 per cent of his body in the reported ambush and has now died in hospital, Nation Africa reports.
He died on Monday evening.
Cheptegei, 33, suffered horror burns over 75 per cent of her body after her former partner snuck into her home and attacked, local media reported.
Both spent days in critical condition at an Intensive Care Unit in Eldoret city’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, western Kenya.
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Cheptegei died on Wednesday evening last week.
Local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom said that her ex-boyfriend set her alight during a heated argument over a land dispute.
He reportedly entered her home while she and her two children were at church.
As he allegedly set her alight using a matchstick he was also engulfed by the flames and rushed to hospital.
The athlete was helped by neighbours after the horrific incident in Endebess, the town where she lived.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, told Kenyan newspaper The Star that his daughter’s two children are not fathered by the alleged attacker.
She was a cross country, long distance and marathon runner who competed globally and most recently finished 44th in the Paris 2024 Olympics Women’s Marathon race.
Dr Owen Menach, acting director at the hospital where they were both taken told Kenyan media last week: “Unfortunately, we lost her after all her organs failed.”
The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Donald Rukare said in a post on X: “We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a vicious attack by her boyfriend.
“This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure.”
