Ecuadorian athlete shot dead by strangers
Álex Quiñónez died at the age of only 32
Quelle: pa/Xinhua News A/Li Gang
In 2019 sprinter Álex Quiñónez took bronze in the 200 meter championship. Now the athletics world is mourning the Ecuadorian athlete. He was the victim of an act of violence in his home country. Quiñónez was only 32 years old.
Dhe Ecuadorian sprinter Álex Quiñónez was shot dead in his home country. He is said to have been driving on Friday evening in the car on the edge of an industrial park in the northwest of the city of Guayaquil when strangers opened fire on his vehicle. An accompanying person was also killed.
According to the Ecuadorian newspaper “El Universo”, the crime is said to have occurred around 9:20 pm local time. According to this, several people in clothing similar to the national police are said to have driven up and fired several shots at the two people. This is what eyewitnesses report. The police have started the investigation, and criminologists and employees of the National Directorate for Violent Deaths are looking for clues at the scene.
Quiñónez first took part in international competitions 15 years ago. He celebrated his greatest success at the 2019 World Cup in Qatar when he secured the bronze medal over 200 meters. In the same year, at the athletics meeting in Lausanne, he also set his personal best over this distance in 19.87 seconds. In July of this year, however, Quiñónez was banned from the World Federation for a year after missing three doping tests.
“Best sprinter in the history of Ecuador”
The news of the death of the 32-year-old Ecuadorian reached the world of athletics ten days after the crime against the Kenyan Agnes Tirop. The 25-year-old long-distance runner was allegedly stabbed by her husband in her home. The case caused deep consternation in the scene. Now the athletics community is mourning again.
“My heart is totally broken. I can’t find words to describe the emptiness I feel. Rest in peace dear Alex, I will miss you all my life, ”wrote Roberto Ibáñez, President of the Guayas Province Sports Federation, on Twitter.
The country’s sports ministry also said: “We have lost a great athlete and a person who made us dream, who inspired us.” The athletics department of FC Barcelona, to which Quiñónez once belonged, was also affected.
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