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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- Ugandan Olympic Runner Severely Burned in Gasoline Attack
Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan long-distance runner who competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, is in critical condition after a man doused her with gasoline and set her on fire, according to Kenyan police.
The 33-year-old athlete sustained burns to 80 percent of her body and is currently receiving treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, said Dr. Owen Menach, a staff member at the hospital. The attack took place on Sunday in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya.
According to Jeremiah Ole Kosiom, police commander of Trans Nzoia County, the assailant, identified as Dickson Ndiema, was in a relationship with Ms. Cheptegei. Ndiema reportedly entered her home with a jerrycan of gasoline, poured it on her, and set her on fire. Ndiema was also injured in the attack, suffering burns on 30 percent of his body. No arrests have been made yet.
Ms. Cheptegei's father, Joseph Cheptegei, revealed that the two were involved in a property dispute, prompting his daughter to file a police report prior to the attack.
Ms. Cheptegei, a professional athlete, ran the marathon at the Paris Olympics in August, finishing 44th. She qualified for the Olympics with a personal best time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 47 seconds at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Marathon. In the same year, she also won the Up and Downhill race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Her case is the latest in a series of violent attacks against female athletes in recent years, prompting renewed discussions about gender-based violence in Africa. In 2021, Kenyan long-distance runner Agnes Jebet Tirop, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics and set world records, was found stabbed to death in her home. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was charged with her murder but pleaded not guilty. In 2022, Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born athlete competing for Bahrain, was found strangled in Iten, Kenya.
These incidents have sparked protests against the widespread femicide in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa, with campaigners calling for stronger action against gender-based violence. Women's rights advocates have linked the rise in such violence to economic pressures and the impacts of the coronavirus lockdowns, criticizing authorities for their lack of response.
According to the United Nations, Africa recorded an estimated 20,000 gender-related killings of women in 2022, the highest rate of femicide in the world.
The violence has also affected male athletes; Ugandan runner Benjamin Kiplagat, who competed in three Olympics and specialized in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, was fatally stabbed in Kenya on New Year’s Eve last year. Kiplagat was 34 years old.
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