CrossFit Games athlete Lazar Đukić drowns during swim event in Fort Worth
Lazar Đukić, who was participating in the 2024 CrossFit Games, died on Thursday after he reportedly drowned in a Fort Worth, Texas lake during the opening day of competition.
CrossFit officials said that Đukić, a 28-year-old from Serbia, died during the first event, which was a 3 1/2-mile run followed by a half-mile swim at Marine Creek Lake.
Đukić was pronounced dead at 10:24 a.m., according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.
Officials canceled the remainder of events that were to take place on Thursday.
In a statement posted on X, the CrossFit Games paid tribute to Đukić:
Today is the saddest day in @CrossFit history. We are shattered by the loss of Lazar Đukić along with the entire CrossFit community.
Lazar was one of our sport’s most talented competitors, but he was much more than an athlete. He was a son, a brother, and a friend to practically… pic.twitter.com/iOCdn7PCSd— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) August 9, 2024
Today is the saddest day in CrossFit history. We are shattered by the loss of Lazar Đukić along with the entire CrossFit community. Lazar was one of our sport’s most talented competitors, but he was much more than an athlete. He was a son, a brother, and a friend to practically everyone who knew him. Fiercely competitive, incurably joyful and uncommonly kind, Lazar was the sun of any room he was in.
The loss of his light is inconceivable. The first instinct is to shut down. To isolate. To mourn. But the only cure for grief is to grieve. And the best way to grieve is together. In our community, coming together to do hard things is how we pay tribute. In this spirit, we have decided to move forward with the 2024 CrossFit Games.
This weekend is dedicated to Lazar Đukić. We will open tomorrow at 10:00 am.
Officials said that after discussions with athletes and Đukić, the decision was made to continue with the event through the weekend.
There will be a ceremony honoring Đukić held at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, the main event site for the CrossFit Games on Friday morning.
On Wednesday, Đukić posted on Instagram that his goal was to reach the podium at the 2024 CrossFit Games with his brother, Luka, who was also competing.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Đukić's family. It has raised nearly $300,000 as of Friday morning.
CrossFit CEO Don Faul said a safety plan was in place and safety personnel were on site and that details of what happened will be part of a review with local law enforcement.
"We'll continue to be focused on our community and the family through this tragic set of circumstances," Faul said.
"There's a lot of people in the community that are hurting right now, that are really sad, that knew the athlete well, that loved, respected this person. A lot of people are in mourning."
