Tragedy struck the CrossFit Games on Thursday, as Lazar Dukic disappeared into the water during an open water swim competition.
Dukic, a 28 year-old athlete from Serbia, had competed in the CrossFit Games for several years. On Thursday, Dukic drowned as he approached what was the finish line of an 800-meter swim. The swim was one part of "Individual Event 1" of the 2024 Games, which are taking place in Fort Worth, Texas. Dukic disappeared under the water around 8 AM, and his body was recovered about 2 hours later.
Dukic's struggles in the water were apparent in the live-streamed video of the event. In the video, which has been clipped and shared to social media, Dukic can be seen fighting to get his head above the water. Dukic is hardly swimming, but more so struggling to bob above the surface, before slipping underwater for good.
In a statement from the CrossFit Games Thursday afternoon, Lazar's death was confirmed. Moreover, all other events scheduled for Thursday were suspended.
Tragedy Strikes CrossFit Games as Athlete Drowns During First Event
Dukic was ranked as the 88th "fittest in the world" coming into the games. As a multi-year competitor, Lazar had garnered quite the following on social media. With his platform, the athlete had asked his fans for their support throughout the weekend. The athlete had even asked fans to tune in for Thursday's "run swim" event in Marine Creek Lake.
According to the NY Post, some 10,000 people had traveled to Fort Worth for this weekend's CrossFit Games. And as of Thursday afternoon, the CrossFit community had taken to social media to express sadness and disappointment regarding the tragedy. One Instagram comment on Lazar's most recent post suggested that the sport had failed to "do what they should to save you (Lazar.)" Likewsie, another commentator had shared that the lack of swim support in the water was mind-boggling. The comment continued to say that "the lack of paddle boarders, kayakers and boats" was head scratching.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it certainly feels like extra support could have changed the tragic outcome from the opening day at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
