Colombian Olympic weightlifter shot dead after bar argument

Colombian Olympic weightlifter Edwin Mosquera Roa was killed after being shot in the head and knee by a stranger, after a reported bar brawl. Photo / Getty

An Olympic weightlifter has been brutally shot dead and killed by a stranger after an argument in a Colombian bar.

Edwin Mosquera Roa, who competed in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was shot in the head and the knee in Palmira, reported The Sun.

It was claimed the killer had left the nightclub with his partner before exchanging words with the athlete and it is believed Mosquera Roa did not know the unnamed shooter.

The Colombian Federation for the Lifting of Weights paid tribute to the 32-year-old on Twitter.

"The lifting of weights is in mourning Edwin Mosquera, outstanding athlete who represented Colombia in the past Olympic Games Rio 2016, passed away yesterday, and our deepest condolences to his family and friends," read the post.

The government of Palmira has offered a reward of more than NZ$4,500 for information related to the murder.

Mosquera Roa placed seventh in his category in last year's Games and also served as a professional soldier for 14 years in the Battalion of Engineers Agustín Codazzi of Palmira.