Olympic Athlete Alex Quiñonez Shot to Death in Ecuador

In Ecuador, the Guayas' Sports Federation confirmed the assassination of Olympic athlete Alex Quiñonez on Friday.

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Quiñonez and a friend Jojairo Arcalla were shot to death by unknown people in the Colinas de la Florida sector in Guayaquil.

Guayas Governor's office, soccer teams, and the general population regretted the incident that ended the life of the 32-year-old medal champion. 

"My heart is totally broken, I can not find words to describe the emptiness I feel. I can not believe it until when we are going to continue living so much evil and insecurity," Guayas' Sports Federation President Roberto Ibañez said. 

Quiñonez and Arcalla 's assassinations occurred amid a state of emergency declared by Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso in an attempt to tackle the rising gang violence in the South American nation.

Quiñonez was a finalist in the 200 meters at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Besides recording 10.09 seconds in the 100 meters and 19.87 in the 200 meters, he came in fifth place at the Diamond League in 2019. He also reached third place at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

The renowned athlete was part of the Ecuadorian delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but an administrative sanction that he appealed until the last moment prevented him from participating.