SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico), Feb 23: Diego Lizardi, a gymnast who represented Puerto Rico in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games has died in a car accident, police said. He was 32.

Lizardi, who dedicated himself to promoting the sport on his native island after retiring, was driving along a winding stretch of highway Thursday when his car collided with a cement truck, killing him instantly, police said. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Athletes from across the island and officials including the governor are expected to attend a ceremony Saturday in the capital, San Juan, to honour his career and his contributions to the US territory’s athletics.

“We are going to pay tribute to a great athlete and a better citizen,” Hector Cardona, president of the island’s Olympic committee, said on Friday.

His decorated career included a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, and a gold medal in the rings event at 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games in Venezuela. He also competed in world championships as well as the Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney.

After retiring, he worked as a gymnastics coach and owned a chain of children’s gyms. He also organised a competition, ‘Lizardi’s Gymnastics Invitational’, which was held most recently in San Juan three weeks ago and draws athletes from around the world.

Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila said the island mourned “a young man who was a model of perseverance and discipline in his athletic career and of service and commitment to the people of Puerto Rico.”—AP