The man convicted for the killing of former junior World Track Champion Marlon Pérez has been sentenced to 33 years and 4 months in prison by a court in Antioquia, Colombia.
Pérez was fatally stabbed in a barroom brawl in the locality of El Carmen de Viboral on October 3, 2024.
Pérez was a key figure in Colombian cycling in the 1990s and early 2000s, taking the track points gold in the 1994 Junior Track World Championships in Quito, Ecuador.
Briefly part of the ill-fated Linda McCartney team, which collapsed through lack of sponsors in early 2001, Pérez then made a definitive move into the pro ranks with Colombia-Selle Italia in 2005 before moving to Tenax and Caisse d'Epargne. His career ended in 2012 after a year with the small Colombia-Claro team.
During that time, Pérez secured the national time trial title three times, also winning six stages in the Vuelta a Colombia. He also took part in the Olympic Games three times in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).
Pérez is also well-known for being the rider who was instrumental in kick-starting compatriot Rigoberto Urán's professional career.
A former teammate of Urán's in the Gabriel Jaime Vélez cycling school when they were both up-and-coming young racers, Pérez recommended Urán to his first professional team, Tenax-Salmilano, in 2006.
Urán was just 19, and the move effectively opened up the doors of European-based pro cycling to one of Colombia's greatest racers to date. After Pérez was killed, Urán paid a heartfelt public tribute to his late friend.
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