Rio de Janeiro (AFP)
Former Brazilian judoka Mario Sabino Junior, a bronze medalist at the 2003 Osaka Worlds, was shot dead near Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday night, the Brazilian Judo Federation announced.
"The family of Brazilian judo is in mourning because of the death of Mario Sabino Junior at the age of 47," said the federation Saturday in a statement.
After his sports career, the Brazilian entered the police and was part of the staff of the national judo team since 2012.
Quoted by the G1 news site, the commander of the Mario Sabino Junior military police battalion reported a "misunderstanding" between him and another colleague, also found dead, by his side, near a car .
The commander said that the former judoka had been killed by his colleague, who may have committed suicide in the process, although this version has not yet been confirmed.
Mario Sabino Junior also represented Brazil at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in the -100kg category.
In 2003, the most prosperous year of his career, he won gold at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo and bronze at the Osaka Worlds.
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