A devastating event unfolded at the CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday when a competitor tragically lost his life during the swimming portion of the event. Lazar Đukić, a 28-year-old CrossFit athlete hailing from Serbia, vanished towards the end of an 800-meter swim. The event was being live-streamed from Marine Creek Lake at approximately 8 a.m.
Emergency services were promptly notified and a body was retrieved from the lake about two hours later. The CrossFit Games organization confirmed the tragic loss of an athlete in a statement released later that day. The statement conveyed profound grief over the incident and pledged full cooperation with the authorities, while also extending support to the grieving family.
Đukić was a seasoned participant in the CrossFit Games, having competed for several years. He was a respected figure in the CrossFit community, ranking third in Serbia and 88th worldwide in the male category. Prior to the event, Đukić had expressed his enthusiasm about participating in the Games on his Instagram account, urging his followers to watch the individual run swim.
The individual run swim event, in which Đukić was participating when he vanished, commences with a 3.5-mile run followed by an 800-meter swim. Images and videos shared on the CrossFit Games’ Instagram account depicted hundreds of athletes gearing up for the event in the early hours of Thursday.
In the wake of the incident, the day’s remaining events were suspended. However, officials did not confirm whether the body recovered from the lake was that of the missing athlete. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that seven firefighter units had responded to a potential drowning call at the lakeshore around the same time Đukić was reported missing.
The CrossFit Games, which draws approximately 10,000 participants from around the world, is slated to continue through Sunday in Fort Worth.