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Olympic sprinter Alex Quinonez shot dead in Ecuador

Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quinonez has been fatally shot in the port city of Guayaquil, police said.

Quinonez, who was 32, became a national hero in 2012 when he reached the 200m final at the London Games, finishing seventh in a race won by Usain Bolt.

Guayaquil-based newspaper El Universo reported that Quinonez was fatally shot on a street in the north-west section of the city at around 9.20pm on Friday and that another man was also killed.

© Petr David Josek Sprinter Alex Quinonez (AP)

Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso vowed that the killing “will not go unpunished”.

The athlete’s death was also confirmed by the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee in a statement on Saturday. It said the circumstances of his death “have not yet been clarified”.

Quinonez won bronze in the 200m at the 2019 world championship in Doha.

Andrea Sotomayor, the secretary general of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee, expressed her sorrow and outrage on Twitter, decrying “so much evil”.

“I don’t have words to express the sadness, helplessness and indignation that is overwhelming me,” she wrote. “Alex Quinonez was the synonym of humility and a clear example of resilience. His loss leaves us with pain in our chests.” 

Reference: By Associated Press Reporter