A famous track and field athlete has been shot and killed in Ecuador, where a state of emergency has been declared due to a recent surge in crime.
Ecuador's Ministry of Sports said on the 22nd that the sprinter Alex Kinonones was murdered in Guayaquil, "We have lost a great athlete who made us dream and moved us."
According to local media, Kignones was found shot and killed on the street of Guayaquil on the night of the 22nd along with one other person.
The motive for the crime or the identity of the suspect has not yet been revealed.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso tweeted his condolences on the death of Kinonones and promised that the perpetrators would be caught and punished.
Kinyones is a sprinter representing Ecuador.
He became a national hero by reaching the 200m final at the 2012 London Olympics, and won the 200m bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Participation in the Tokyo Olympics was canceled for violating doping test-related location reporting rules, but he was training for next year's World Championships.
In Ecuador, including Guayaquil, where Kignones was murdered, violent crimes related to drug trafficking have surged recently.
The number of homicides in Ecuador so far this year so far is close to 1,900, higher than the 1,400 total last year, AFP news agency reported.
At the end of last month, when more than 100 people were killed in a territorial dispute between gangs related to the Mexican cartel at Guayaquil prison, President Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency on the 18th and strengthened military and police control.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)