A love triangle involving three-time 1,500m world champion Asbel Kiprop has left a woman fighting for her life, a broken marriage and shattered reputations.

Nancy Rotich, 24, who is married to Andrew Chepsiya, Kiprop's training partner and pacemaker, attempted suicide after Kiprop leaked a video showing them in a compromising situation. She is said to have swallowed a pesticide at her house in Kuinet, Eldoret, a few hours after the video was posted.

In what sounds like a storyline straight out of a soap opera, Kiprop called the woman’s husband on Sunday night, and confessed he had been having an affair with his wife since 2016.

The athlete said he confessed to exorcise the ghosts of his diminishing career that has seen him fight doping allegations and a series of other misfortunes.

He blamed his extramarital affairs for all his troubles, including a widely publicised case last year when he hit a pedestrian at Kapseret.

Kiprop claimed that at the time he was on his way from the Moi International Airport, Eldoret, to pick his lover for one of their clandestine activities.

“I am coming out clean,” said Kiprop yesterday.

“I called Chepsiya at 7.30pm to confess about my relationship with his wife before I posted the video and photos on my Facebook page,” said Kiprop.

Kiprop also claimed that he made a similar confession to his wife, Sammary Cherotich, triggering a confrontation that saw him storm out of their house. He then went to an undisclosed location in town from where he posted the video and photos.

"I posted the video at around midnight," he said.

The video, which went viral, shows the athlete in his vehicle kissing Nancy. She is wearing an unbuttoned denim top as she and Kiprop enjoy Kalenjin music blaring from the car's speakers.

Jilted husband

The Standard tracked down Chepsiya, who admitted that Kiprop called him between 7.30 and 8.00pm on Sunday to confess that he had been in a relationship with his wife.

The call, according to the athlete, triggered a quarrel and the wife decided to walk out.

“She wanted to leave during the night but I told her to spend the night then leave in the morning. That is when she took the pesticide in an attempt to commit suicide,” said Chepsiya.

“I rushed her to hospital after my brother and I discovered that she was unconscious in bed after packing her clothes, we saw an opened packet of pesticide which we suspect she swallowed,” he said.

The pacemaker claimed that the lengthy call from Asbel revealed what had been happening behind his back.

"We agreed to amicably split because our marriage was irreparably broken," he said.

Shocking revelation

Chepsiya said he had gotten wind of the affair awhile back, but the final revelation came as a shock to him. He said he feels betrayed by his fellow athlete.

He recalled a day Kiprop called him for drinks only to sneak out to go and pick his wife.

“He asked me to join them for a few drinks. Little did I know that he was on a mission to know my location before he went to pick my wife. A woman was killed as they were driving back from the airport,” he said.

“The things he has done behind my back yet he is my friend and fellow athlete have really gone beyond what an enemy would do,” he said. 

Chepsiya explained that he and Kiprop were close, and that he even lent the athlete Sh500,000 to settle the accident matter with the family of the victim.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity at the Eldoret Hospital where Nancy is admitted said that she is in a stable condition.

“The patient was brought into the facility some minutes past 1am by a person who identified himself as her husband. She is in a stable condition after ingesting suspected pesticide,” he said.

Nancy, a business woman turned politician, unsuccessfully vied for Kuinet ward rep seat in last year's elections.