The 2024 CrossFit Games will forever be remembered for both its intense competition and the profound tragedy that occurred. In a recent heartfelt video, former 2x CrossFit champion Justin Medeiros opened up about the emotional turbulence of the Games, including the tragic death of fellow athlete Lazar Đukić and the challenges athletes faced in deciding how to move forward.
He talks, among other things, that it was his sister’s boyfriend who jumped in the water after seeing someone going underwater during event 1 which, tragically, was Lazar’s final moments. He also explains how the atmosphere in the arena was before the conversation with CrossFit staff, the decision to continue and how some athletes don’t trust CrossFit any longer.
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The Immediate Aftermath of Lazar Đukić’s Passing
The sudden and heartbreaking death of Lazar Đukić, a beloved member of the CrossFit community, shook everyone involved in the 2024 Games. The athletes were struck with shock and confusion as they grappled with how to continue in the face of such tragedy. Medeiros expressed his gratitude for the understanding and support from fans during this challenging time, noting, “There’s definitely been some people that have not been super supportive of the athletes and some of our decisions to compete, but obviously the vast majority of everybody has been super understanding and thoughtful.”
The difficulty of processing Đukić’s passing was compounded by the speed at which events unfolded. Medeiros explained, “All of that happened so quickly it was really hard to process what was happening and really have conversations about exactly the best way to move forward.” For Medeiros and many others, the decision to continue competing in the Games was not taken lightly. They wanted to honour Đukić’s memory in the way they believed he would have wanted. “I respect every single athlete’s decision to compete, not to compete, take a stand, whatever it may be,” Medeiros said. “But I think everyone’s decision was made with whatever they thought the best thing to do for Lazar was.”
Remembering Lazar Đukić
Lazar Đukić was more than just a competitor; he was a friend to many, including Medeiros, who fondly remembered the camaraderie and playful rivalry they shared over the years. He recounted a series of memorable interactions with Đukić, including an incident during the 2021 CrossFit Games: “We had the 500-meter run event, and me and him were right next to each other… I caught an elbow from Lazar in my face/chest area. At the time, it wasn’t laughs, I was definitely irritated.” However, this initial tension turned into a light-hearted joke between the two, which continued throughout their careers. “Ever since then, it’s been kind of something we joked around with.”
These fond memories made Đukić’s passing all the more painful. Medeiros recalled their final interactions during the 2024 Games: “We were pushed all the way to the side of the start line… Jeff and Lazar were talking about their strategy and including me in it, which was a very nice gesture.” Reflecting on this moment, Medeiros shared the deep sadness that engulfed him when he realized the gravity of what had happened. “I think about those conversations and that plan to start… and I think, man, what if things had gone differently.”
How It All Happened Chronologically: Lazar’s Death and the Decision to Continue the CrossFit Games
The Run and Lake Event: Fogged Glasses and a Sudden Tragedy
The lake event, which was meant to be an intense test of endurance, quickly turned into a nightmare. Medeiros described the atmosphere leading up to the event, a strange mix of excitement and nerves, as the athletes were preparing for their first challenge of the day. “There was definitely a lot of nerves wrapped around that event,” Medeiros admitted. He explained that he had been dealing with some foot issues leading up to the games, which heightened his anxiety for the run portion of the event.
Once the event began, the athletes ran 3.5 miles under the punishing heat of the sun before reaching the lake for the swim portion of the challenge. By this point, Medeiros and the other competitors were already struggling. “We just ran 3.5 miles. You get in the water, your glasses are all foggy, you can’t see anything,” he recalled. The combination of heat, exertion, and the humidity in the air made the transition from land to water especially disorienting. Medeiros painted a vivid picture of the experience: “You have to swim 800 meters across the lake that you can barely see the other side when you’re in the water. The water feels just like it does outside – hot, sticky, warm.”
Medeiros described the experience as suffocating, with the heat not subsiding even in the water: “It feels almost worse than it did when you were running.” The conditions made the event incredibly taxing, and athletes were pushing through a haze of heat, exhaustion, and disorientation. After completing the swim, Medeiros crossed the finish line, handed over his chip timer, and immediately sought relief from the relentless heat. “I hopped in the cold tub for a couple of minutes, trying to get my body temperature back down because all of us felt like we were overheating,” he explained.
As Medeiros was trying to cool off, he noticed something was amiss. His family – his mother and sister – were visibly shaken.
“My mom and my sister are hysterical,” Medeiros remembered. “They were saying someone drowned, someone went underwater and didn’t come back up, and they could barely get the words out. They’re shaking, they’re crying.”
His immediate reaction was one of disbelief. He urged his family to calm down, convinced that they were mistaken: “I was like, whoa, calm down, calm down, like, where did you see this?”
His mother and sister told him that the incident occurred about 50 feet from the finish line. Even though they were adamant about what they had seen, Medeiros struggled to believe it. He remembered something strange as he neared the end of the swim: “I vividly remember coming to the end of that swim and seeing a paddleboarder right at the finish line. I was like, man, that doesn’t make sense – there’s a paddleboarder there with all the event staff. But, needless to say, I wasn’t taking them super seriously.”
Trying to calm the situation, Medeiros went to alert the event staff, but he was met with a casual response. “The guy I talked to said, ‘Oh, I saw that. He just went underwater to grab his cap,’” Medeiros recalled, frustrated. “He made it seem like, yeah, the guy just went underwater, grabbed his cap, and finished.” With this reassurance, Medeiros returned to his family to relay the message, thinking everything was under control. But the reality was much darker.
His Sister’s Boyfriend Jumped to the Rescue
The situation escalated when Medeiros reached out to his family after the event, desperate for more information. It was then that he learned his sister’s boyfriend, a cop, had been one of the people who swam out to search for the missing athlete. “My sister’s boyfriend is a cop. He was swimming out in the water, looking. He didn’t even see it happen, but my sister and my mom were the ones that saw it,” Medeiros explained, the shock evident in his voice. His sister’s boyfriend, without hesitation, had jumped into the water and started searching, even though he had no clear idea of what had transpired. “He didn’t even think twice, just jumped in the water not even thinking twice,” Medeiros said.
Unfortunately, despite his efforts and those of others, their search was ultimately turned away, and it became clear that the worst had happened. The athlete, Lazar Đukić, had drowned, and the reality of the tragedy began to settle in for everyone involved. “Terrible,” Medeiros said simply, the weight of the loss palpable in his words. “You just think, maybe if more people believed them, things would have actually transpired in a different way.”
CrossFit Stays Silent and the Lack of Trust
After the lake event, there was a palpable sense of confusion among the athletes. Medeiros described the strange silence that followed, as athletes waited for word from CrossFit about how the event would continue. “We had another event planned for that day, and we had no idea what was going on,” Medeiros explained. “I mean, we hadn’t heard anything from CrossFit.” The lack of communication left everyone in a state of limbo. “We head to the venue, like, they have to be telling us something.”
But when the athletes arrived, they were met with an eerie scene: some were warming up for the next event, while others sat in the bleachers, emotionally drained and unsure of what to do. “I walk in and people are warming up for the sledgehammer event,” Medeiros recalled. “People are hitting the tire, athletes are testing it, others are just sitting in their sandals in the bleachers… emotionally all over the place.”
Frustration began to build as the athletes waited without any official word from CrossFit. “We sat there for a long time, hearing nothing,” Medeiros said. He noted that all the information he was receiving about the situation was coming from other athletes or external sources, not from CrossFit itself. “All the information we were getting was from everyone else besides CrossFit,” Medeiros remarked, expressing his frustration with the lack of clear communication.
Finally, the athletes received an email from CrossFit announcing that the events for the rest of the day would be cancelled. The email also informed them that an athlete had gone missing and had not yet been found. “We got an email saying that an athlete was not found and the events were cancelled,” Medeiros said, noting that by the time they received this communication, most athletes had already heard the tragic news through word of mouth.
The Conversation with Dave Castro: Did Đukić Gave Their Blessing?
At 4 p.m., the athletes were told to gather at the venue for a discussion about the future of the Games. There, Dave Castro, Director of the CrossFit Games, addressed the athletes, explaining that he had been in contact with Lazar Đukić’s brother, Luka, and their family. Castro shared that they had discussed whether or not the Games should continue in light of Lazar’s death. According to Castro, Luka Đukić and his family gave their blessing for the Games to proceed. “Dave comes on and says that he had discussions with Luka and their family about if we should continue the Games or not,” Medeiros recalled. “He said that they believe the Games should continue but wanted Luka and his family to be involved in that decision.”
Related: PFAA Demands for Dave Castro to Be “Removed from His Position”
Castro’s statement did little to ease the tension in the room. Medeiros noted that many athletes remained sceptical of CrossFit’s transparency and questioned whether Luka Đukić and his family had truly been consulted in the way Castro described.
“A lot of athletes questioned if that conversation even happened or if that’s exactly the way it went,” Medeiros explained. Despite these doubts, the athletes were left to decide for themselves how to proceed.
Medeiros struggled with the decision, trying to balance his desire to honour Đukić with the overwhelming grief he was experiencing. “I think a lot of us just weren’t sure what to think,” he said. “All of us were thinking about Lazar and the right thing to do.” Ultimately, many athletes, including Medeiros, decided to continue competing – not for the leaderboard or the title, but for Lazar Đukić, his family, and the CrossFit community. “I’m not competing for a title, I’m competing for the community,” Medeiros affirmed. “This is the only way I know how to process this.”
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Emotions on the Competition Floor
Medeiros and his fellow athletes found the emotional weight of Đukić’s death manifesting in their performances on the floor. Medeiros recalled a particularly difficult moment during the competition when the lane next to him was left empty in Đukić’s memory. “I think that’s kind of where it all started to hit me pretty hard… I should have been walking out there with him in that event and he wasn’t there.” Throughout the competition, Medeiros admitted to struggling with focus, recounting how his mind would drift to thoughts of Đukić during workouts. “I couldn’t think about the workouts, I was so checked out.”
Despite these struggles, Medeiros found strength in the community, acknowledging the support of fans who continued to cheer him on. “Every time I crossed the finish line, it was about you guys,” Medeiros said. “If it wasn’t for those people cheering for me, telling me good job, telling me they’re behind me, I don’t think there’s any chance I would have been able to go forward with it.”
A Powerful Legacy
Ultimately, Medeiros and the other athletes sought to ensure that Lazar Đukić’s legacy would not be forgotten. As the Games concluded, the CrossFit community came together to honour him in various ways, including tributes and gestures of remembrance during the events. Medeiros emphasized how the community’s spirit helped him push through, saying, “We want people to remember his name forever… even after this weekend, things aren’t just going to go back to normal.”
In the end, Justin Medeiros’ reflections on the 2024 CrossFit Games serve as a poignant reminder of the deep bonds forged within the CrossFit community but also how the image of the CrossFit Games have deteriorated after the tragic loss of Lazar Đukić. It’s a community built on shared suffering, mutual respect, and support in the face of adversity. While Lazar Đukić’s passing cast a long shadow over the Games, his memory continues to inspire those who knew him, motivating them to push forward and honour his legacy with every lift, every run, and every moment of perseverance.
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image sources
- Justin Medeiros: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
- Justin Medeiros Games 2020: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
