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Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quinonez who earned a bronze medal during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships was shot dead at a shopping mall in his hometown of Guayaquil on Friday.
The 32-year-old 100m, 200m and 400m sprinter was killed alongside a not-yet-identified person.
Quinonez holds the national 200m record of 20.28, which he set during the 2012 London Olympic Games. The following year he broke the national 100m record which continues to stand at 10.09. In 2019, he set his sixth national record in the 400m event going 46.28 in Braga, Portugal. He is also a member of the 4 x 200m record-setting team and set national records in the 60m and 100m indoor events. His 200m national record is now set at 19.87.
Así te queremos recordar como el más grande velocista de Ecuador , el Mundo del Atletismo te llora hoy tu partida ! Hasta siempre Alex cuanta falta nos vas hacer #JusticiaparaAlex pic.twitter.com/HGOLLLSBFu
— Fed.Ecuat. Atletismo (@FEcAtletismo) October 23, 2021
The death comes days after Agnes Tirop, a Kenyan distance athlete who was murdered in her home allegedly by her husband Ibrahim Rotich. She was found stabbed multiple times. It is alleged that the motive was money. She owned several parcels of land, some of which was transferred out of her name while she was competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games. She was laid to rest on Friday.
Quinonez’s death was confirmed by Roberto Ibáñez, president of the Guayas Sports Federation, as he expressed himself on social media.
“My heart is totally shattered, I can’t find words to describe the emptiness I feel.”
