The Ecuadorian athlete Alex Quiñónez, a finalist in the 200 meters at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was killed this Friday in the port city of Guayaquil (southwest), where he resided, for reasons that are still being investigated.
The death was confirmed by Roberto Ibáñez, president of the Guayas Sports Federation, in a Twitter message in which he expressed the immense pain caused by the death of Quiñónez, a 32-year-old born in the province of Esmeraldas (northwest).
[+]The General Assembly of FC Barcelona observed a minute of silence in his memory
“My heart is totally shattered, I can’t find words to describe the emptiness I feel“Ibáñez wrote on his social network account.
“I can not believe it, until when are we going to continue living so much evil and insecurity“added the sports leader in reference to the fact that the city of Guayaquil has become the focus of the rise of delinquency and crime.
“Rest in peace dear Alex, I will miss you for a lifetime“, concluded Ibáñez.
It so happens that Quiñónez, 32, had a tab in Spain for FC Barcelona, a club he arrived at in 2018.The Barça entity yesterday expressed its condolences through social networks.
According to unofficial sources, Quiñónez and a friend of his, Jojairo Arcalla, were shot dead by unknown persons, in the sector known as Colinas de la Florida, in Guayaquil.
Social networks in Ecuador ignited with the news of the murder of Quiñónez, which occurred on the fourth day of a state of emergency declared by the country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, to try to stop the increase in crime.
Joint operations between the military and the police have been concentrated in several provinces of Ecuador, especially on the coast of Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, where there have been several violent deaths in recent weeks.
The Ministry of Sports also reacted to the death of Quiñónez and he remarked that “the best sprinter in the history of our country” was assassinated.
That State portfolio, in a statement, reported that the competent authorities are investigating the case and expressed its condolences to the athlete’s family, friends and fellow athletes.
Alex Quinonez
Quiñónez was unable to compete this year at the Tokyo Olympics, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee, who suspended his participation after failing to report for a routine doping control.
The athlete appealed the ruling, but the sanction was upheld and he could not be registered for Tokyo.
With records of 10.09 seconds in the 100 meter flat and 19.87 in the 200, Quiñónez has been the best Ecuadorian in the discipline and went on to rank fifth in the Diamond League in 2019, when it also reached third place at that year’s World Athletics Championships in Doha.
His record includes a series of trophies as champion in Pan American, Latin American, South American and Bolivarian games, among others.
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