Death of world 200m bronze medallist and London Olympian shocks the athletics world

Alex Quiñonez, 200m bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, has been killed in his home city of Guayaquil after a shooting incident.

According to reports the 32-year-old was shot in a shopping area of Colinas de la Florida, in Guayaquil, the second largest city in Equador.

Quiñonez had a best 200m time of 19.87, holds his national records from 100m to 400m and finished seventh in the 200m final in the London Olympics in 2012.

His finest moment on the track came at the World Championships in Doha two years ago when he clocked 19.98 to finish behind Andre De Grasse of Canada and the winner Noah Lyles of the United States.

In doing so he became Ecuador’s second medallist in the World Championships following the race walking exploits of Jefferson Pérez.

Quiñonez was set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics this year but provisionally suspended in July for anti-doping whereabouts failures.

His death occurred on the fourth day of a state of emergency which was announced by the country’s president Guillermo Lasso to try to stop a surge in crime.

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— Fed.Ecuat. Atletismo (@FEcAtletismo) October 23, 2021