Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quiñonez, 32, bronze medalist in the 200m at the Doha Worlds in 2019, was shot and killed overnight Friday to Saturday in Guayaquil, southwest Ecuador, authorities said. .
"
We deplore the painful loss of Alex Quiñonez, a father, a son, a great sprinter who marked the sport
", reacted on Twitter the Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso: "
May he rest in peace.
Those who take the lives of Ecuadorians will not go unpunished.
We will act with force
”.
The sprinter was found dead around midnight local time on Friday in a suburb of the port city of Guayaquil, after being shot and killed with a young man who was with him, according to a police source.
The athlete had not participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he could have aimed for the podium, due to a one-year suspension pronounced in July for several "
no shows
" during doping controls out of competition.
Military mobilization in the streets
"
We have lost a great sportsman, a person who made us dream, who moved us
", reacted the Ecuadorian Ministry of Sports in a press release posted on Twitter, calling him "the
best sprinter in the history of our country
" . The death of Alex Quiñonez "
leaves us with deep sorrow, but his legacy as the greatest sprinter in our history will remain in our hearts forever
," the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee also commented.
Ecuador is facing a wave of violence, notably linked to drug trafficking, which has prompted President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency on Monday to fight against insecurity.
President Lasso proclaimed Monday evening this special regime providing for the mobilization in the streets of soldiers to fight against insecurity, for a period of at least 60 days.