Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan long-distance runner, was still fighting for her life on Wednesday after being set on fire by a Kenyan man, only weeks after competing in the Paris Olympics.
Following the attack on Sunday, the 33-year-old athlete is being treated at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya’s Rift Valley metropolis.
Cheptegei had 80 percent of her body burnt, according to the hospital’s interim CEO, Owen Menach, who stated that everything was being done to preserve her life.
Police said a guy named Dickson Ndiema Marangach doused Cheptegei with fuel and set her on fire at her home in Endebess, Trans-Nzoia’s western county.
The hospital provided no formal medical update on Wednesday.
However, a medical counsellor at the hospital, who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press, stated that her condition had deteriorated.
“Cheptegei has developed a bacterial infection of sepsis due to the severe injuries to the stomach and the lower part of the body,” the counsellor said.
Peter Tum, a top Kenyan sports ministry official, stated on Wednesday that the Ugandan and Kenyan governments were both involved in her care.
“There are efforts to make sure the athlete, who is admitted in Eldoret, is airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment,” he said in a local television interview, without giving further details.
According to Kenyan media, one of Cheptegei’s children witnessed the assault at her mother’s home.
“He kicked me while I tried to run to the rescue of my mother,” Kenya’s The Standard reported her as saying.
“I immediately cried out for help, attracting a neighbour who tried to extinguish the flames with water, but it was not possible,” said the girl, who has not been named.
