Agnes tirop

Trail Running Championships: Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who recently competed in the Paris Olympics, is fighting for her life after being subjected to a brutal attack by a former boyfriend in western Kenya. The 33-year-old athlete suffered severe burns to over 75% of her body after being doused with petrol and set on fire at her home in the small town of Endebess, where she had been training.

Cheptegei, who had previously secured gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2022, was reportedly rescued by neighbours after the attack. Both she and her alleged attacker, who also sustained serious burns, are currently receiving treatment at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the main town in the region.

Local police chief Jeremiah Ole Kosiom confirmed the attack to journalists, stating, "The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her," the BBC quoted him as saying.