Impact in Ecuador: Athlete Alex Quiñónez was killed in Guayaquil

Ecuadorian athlete Alex Quiñónez, a finalist in the 200 meters at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was killed on Friday in the port city of Guayaquil (southwest), where he lived, 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, 32 years old born in the province of Esmeraldas (northwest).” My heart is totally broken, I can’t find words to describe the emptiness I feel,” Ibáñez wrote on his social network account. I can’t believe it, until when we are going to continue to live so much evil and insecurity,” added the sports leader in reference to the city of Guayaquil has become the focus of the rise of crime and crime. Rest in peace dear Alex, I will miss you all my life,” concluded Ibáñez.According to unofficial sources, Quiñónez and a friend of his, Jojairo Arcalla, were shot dead by unknown people, in the sector known as Colinas de la Florida, in Guayaquil.Social networks in Ecuador were lit up with the news of Quiñónez’s murder, which occurred on the fourth day of validity of a state of emergency declared by the president of the country, Guillermo Lasso, to try to stop the increase in crime. Joint operations between the military and police have been concentrated in several provinces of Ecuador, especially in the coastal province of Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, where several violent deaths have been recorded in recent weeks. The Ministry of Sports also reacted to Quiñónez’s death and remarked that “the best sprinter in the history of our country” was killed. That State Ministry, 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. Quiñónez was unable to compete this year at the Tokyo Olympics, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee, which suspended his participation after failing to report for a routine doping check. The athlete appealed the ruling, but the sanction was ratified and could not be registered for Tokyo.With records of 10.09 seconds in the 100 meters flat and 19.87 in the 200, Quiñónez has been the best Ecuadorian in the discipline and came to place in fifth place in the Diamond League in 2019, when he also reached third place in the World Athletics Championships that year in Doha.Su palmares includes a series of trophies as champion in Pan American, Ibero-American, South American and Bolivarian games, among others.

Original source in Spanish