Emma Tall, Elisa Fuliano and Sam Cournoyer have shared on social media that they are no longer competing for the remainder of the 2024 CrossFit Games. Guilherme Malheiros seemed devastated with the loss of his friend Lazar Dukic during event 3, and didn’t come back for the last event of the evening. Victoria Campos also didn’t show up for two events this Friday.
Five more athletes have withdrawn from the 2024 CrossFit Games, bringing the tally to 9 individual athletes, together with teams CrossFit Walleye and C23 CrossFit The Progrm Motion.
The full name of the athletes who are no longer competing at the 2024 CrossFit Games are:
- Luka Dukic
- Jeff Adler
- Laura Horvath
- Karin Freyova
- Emma Tall
- Elisa Fuliano
- Victoria Campos
- Sam Cournoyer
- Guilherme Malheiros
Emma Tall
Perhaps the most shocking withdrawing this Friday was of Emma Tall. The Swedish athlete was 3rd overall after completing event 2 (the first of the day), but then simply didn’t appear for the second and subsequent event.
Only after the last event finished she released a statement telling her side of the story and her reasoning on her IG stories.
“Following the event 2 this afternoon, I made the decision to withdraw from the 2024 CrossFit Games.
We all have a choice to make and this is the one that sits best with me.
I will post my full thoughts soon.”
Elisa Fuliano
The Italian athlete first shared a video together with her coach explaining how they felt right after the death of Lazar Dukic. Elisa Fuliano herself said she suffered a panic attack in the water, looked around for help, but there was no one around, she had to swim another 5 minutes before spotting any safety staff. She told her coach about this, before hearing about the death of Lazar.
Both coach and athlete were unsure to continue the competition, but she eventually finished event 2 and 3, but withdrew before starting the last event of the evening.
In a lengthy post, she explained it all.
“I’m withdrawing from the 2024 CrossFit Games. It’s a shame. What I craved so much for months doesn’t feel right anymore. I feel very disappointed from CrossFit and I wish I had the courage to do this earlier and I respect so much the athletes who had the courage to do it as first thing, when the moment was right.
It’s just unacceptable what happened during Event #1 and it literally broke my heart. Today, until 10 mins before the calling of my heat I was so confused I still didn’t know what to do. We talked about this for hours and hours, we shared thoughts with all the athletes and coaches from yesterday morning until today, we cried a lot, and the more we talked about what to do, the more I got confused.
[…] It’s so easy to judge from the couch, without having lived this situation in person, and not knowing at all how and what we athletes exactly felt during these 36 hours. We are all so confused and it’s not easy to think clearly in a situation like this. I chose to get on the competition floor not managing to think clearly too.
I wish everyone would understand and support any choice the athletes are making, without judging and making this awful situation even worse and do nothing but put us in more difficulty and more under pressure. […]
But me, I just don’t want to be part of this anymore.
I don’t feel that all this aligns anymore with my personal view and doesn’t feel right no more. Going on like nothing happens feels just not fair. Right now I’m exhausted from all the emotions I felt in these last almost two days and I need to stop for some time. I’ll switch off my mind and won’t think about CrossFit for a while.”
Sam Cournoyer
Sam Cournoyer had a different approach to what happened. According to him, his decision to stop competing was fuelled by Lazar Dukic’s death, but also a bacteria in his body he had beginning of the CrossFit Games.
Here is what he wrote:
First of all, I am sending all of my love to Lazar’s Family and Friends and my sincere condolences. I still can’t wrap my head around this tragic and unfair situation.
The last couple of days have been crazy.
For those who know me well, I dont like sharing my feelings/emotions but I feel that I owe you guys, the community, an explanation for why I am deciding to terminate my 2024 CFG.
Couple days before leaving for Texas I started to feel really unwell, huge headache and stomach bug, fever name them all.
Once arriving here in Texas my situation got worst and worst and had to even pay a visit to the ER on Wednesday morning. Long story short
I am dealing with an intoxication with listeria bacteria from an almond milk that was contaminated. However, I told myself, time to fight and give everything you’ve got.
But now, with the tragic situation, a path moving forward that I personally don’t respect and still not feeling like myself, I have decided to end my season.
I honestly respect every athletes out there, competing or not, honoring Lazar in their own way, respecting their own values.
As for now, I will be taking a brake from Crossfit. I need time for myself and my family and I don’t know what’s next for me as far as competing or if coming back to the games is my calling.
I am excited to go back in an affiliate @monarkcrossfit soon and jump back in coaching classes.
I truly appreciate all the support and love.
Lazard we miss you brother and you will always be in our heart.
Victoria Campos and Gui Malheiros
Both Brazilians have not shared officially that they pulled out of competition as of yet. However, Victoria Campos did not enter the competition floor in the last two events of the night.
Guilherme Malheiros was a personal close friend of Lazar Dukic. The Brazilian is famous for smiling and lifting heavy weights without making a scary face, but today was entirely different for him.
He managed to compete during the first two events of the day, but on the second one, cameras caught him devastated and sobbing seconds before the bell announced the beginning of the workout.
For the third event, he did not show up.
While technically all athletes who have not appeared at one event can come back later and continue competing at the CrossFit Games, and Gui Malheiros until now have not written officially that he is out, it seems only plausible to assume he is in no mental conditions to do so.
How Elite CrossFit Games Athletes Reacted to Lazar Dukic Passing
